


A Hazy Shade Of Winter

by melancholymango



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Frozen (2013) Fusion, Dysfunctional Family, First Kiss, Getting Together, Internal Conflict, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith is a prince, Lance is Jack Frost, M/M, Magic, Matt Likes Reindeer too Much, Mutual Pining, Shiro is Tired, Slav is a Troll, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), bad ice puns ahead, supportive lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 16:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 40,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14429319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melancholymango/pseuds/melancholymango
Summary: Keith laughed breathlessly, running his hand through his hair and rubbing at his eyes, wondering if this was a dream or a sleep-deprived hallucination. Yet it still stood in the same place when he pulled his hands back. Beautiful, elegant, detailed, it was unlike anything Keith had ever seen before. It put his own castle to shame. The tall spires and elegant detailing sketched into the ice, it must have taken years to build.To see something so beautiful built out of the thing Keith had spent his entire life loathing, it was bittersweet. He had to meet whoever had built this, whoever lived in such a bizarre and lonely place.--aka the Frozen au you've all been waiting for! Lance is Jack Frost, Keith is Elsa, and yes they both have white hair.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my fics for the Klance Reverse Bang! If that sounds like something that might interest you be sure to check out the tumblr blog where all of the fics and art are being posted. This fic is in partnership with my lovely artist for the event and I'll link to their art pieces here: http://viraseii.tumblr.com/post/173279108674/
> 
> As an avid Disney fan, it was only a matter of time before the klance au's came about.

The kingdom of Arendelle was a sight to behold during the early mornings of mid-summer. The lush green mountains surrounding their town, the rolling waves of the ocean lapping against the shores of the cove, all draped in the golden hue that fell heavily over the community. It was no secret why travelers came from all corners of the Earth to their seaside town.

Keith wasn’t a morning person. He never had been.

Yet here he was, settled in the window seat with his forehead pressed to the glass, staring blankly out over the land as the sun was only just beginning to rise. His eyes burned. His every movement was sluggish and drawn-out. Exhausted. It was exactly what he’d been hoping for.

For the first time in days, his mind was blissfully blank. Too overtired to properly chase after the many loose threads of his thoughts, anxieties, and fears. He was just sat there in his personal favorite library, enjoying the view for once in his life.

Of course, it was inevitable that he’d be interrupted by someone as the morning hours approached. The castle was starting to come to life, the echoes of voices and footsteps filling the halls. The libraries weren’t the most frequented places in the castle, but they’d been his getaway for long enough that anyone hoping to find him would look here first.

It wasn’t all that much later that the heavy doors to the room swung open, with enough force to make Keith jump even in his slowed-down state. He didn’t bother turning to look who had entered the room, he could tell by the peppy and confident way the footsteps approached him. There was only one person comfortable enough with him to act so casually.

The footsteps came to a stop beside him.

“Did you sleep at all?” Shiro asked, with a resigned tone of disappointment that said he already knew the answer. Keith shrugged.

“No.”

His answer hung heavy in the air for a long moment. Keith could already tell what was coming, one of the classic motivational speeches that Shiro was so known for. Everyone in the castle came to his brother for advice, he was the positivity expert or something. Sometimes, Keith would humor him and actually listen to what he had to say, but today wasn’t going to be one of those days.

“You have no reason to be nervous, Keith.” Shiro told him, exhaling on a fond sigh. Keith turned away from the window, watching as Shiro settled on the floor a few feet away, crossing his legs beneath himself. He was doing that Shiro thing he did, settling in and making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere until they made some progress.

Keith groaned, causing Shiro to look up and meet his gaze. A brief frown flashed across Shiro’s features upon seeing whatever was displayed on Keith’s, but then he was forcing an encouraging smile. Wide, toothy, brimming with determination. Naive. “You’re a good person. You’ll make a great king.”

“This isn’t my kingdom.” Keith deadpanned. There wasn’t a trace of emotion present in his voice. The fact didn’t bother him like it used to, when he was younger and spent long hours of the night dreading how unlike his father he was. He was no king. “They don’t even know who I am.”

“If you’d only show them, I’m certain they’d like what they see.” Shiro insisted.

It was the certainty that got to Keith. The way Shiro spoke like he knew something that the townspeople didn’t, that he knew something that even Keith couldn’t see within himself. Shiro was so blissfully unaware of just how much Keith was keeping from him, just like he’d always been. And it hurt, in the ugly and angry way, because they were never secrets Keith _wanted_ to keep.

He wished that he could listen to Shiro reassure him and believe a word of it, but his brother knew him no better than the strangers of the kingdom outside their castle.

“I should go.” Keith said, not waiting for a response before rising to his feet. He turned away, biting his bottom lip. “I have to practice my speech.”

“Of course.” Shiro nodded, voice full of understanding. He didn’t even bother getting up off the floor yet, just watching Keith as he left. “Let me know if you need someone to run it by before the big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I will.” Keith lied through his teeth, taking long strides toward the door.

He had no intention of reaching out to anyone. In fact, he had no intention of seeing or interacting with anyone for the next twenty-four hours, as he was going to lock himself away in his room and brood.

This time tomorrow he would be getting dressed for his coronation, the servants would be buzzing around him and trying to wrestle him into the image they saw fit for him. Then he would have to stand in front of a courtyard full of people, a kingdom he hadn’t interacted with since his parents had been lost at sea eight years ago. He would stand up on the podium, ready for their judgment to rain down on him. Then he would spend the rest of his life like that… as a _king_.

\--

Age seven marked a lot of life-changing moments for Keith. It sort-of happened in a domino-like fashion, one life-altering catapulting him straight into the next. It all started during one summer afternoon when Queen Krolia finally relented and allowed the royal advisor to take Keith on a public outing without her supervision. She’d always been extra protective, Keith was her only son and she didn’t want anything to happen to him.

Keith was determined though, begging to leave the castle grounds day in and day out. Being a prince had its perks, but if he was being totally honest… making friends wasn’t one of them. He knew more  about how to act around prestigious rich adults than other kids his age. The only chance he had to interact with other kids his age were the rare instances when princes from other kingdoms would travel to visit them, but Keith hardly ever clicked with them anyway.

He was excited to explore the village on his own, to go to the local hang-out places and meet local kids. If he met one he really got along with, they might even be able to visit regularly! He’d never had a friend that he could spend time with casually or frequently.

The park they ended up going to was a small and uneventful place, but it was _new_. It was a place Keith had never been rather than the familiar long halls and extravagant rooms of the castle. There weren’t many other people there, just two boys around his age that seemed to be standing around in an open clearing and talking. He was thrilled right up until the moment he realized he had absolutely no idea how to approach the other kids.

Deciding that he’d just have to wait for them to approach him, he sat down on the bench next to the royal advisor. Coran was a strange man, but he was always kind. He didn’t comment when Keith settled next to him with a pout, only smiled knowingly and went back to reading his book.

Keith brought his knees up to his chest and settled his chin on top of them, staring straight at the other kids and trying to will them to come talk to him.

“Look, it’s the prince.” It was only really a whisper, but Keith was so fixated that he couldn’t help but overhear. They were looking in his direction now, wide-eyed and visibly shocked. He grinned to himself, trying not to get too excited at the prospect of new friends.

“What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know.” The first boy responded, speaking out of the side of his mouth like he was trying to be secretive about it. Keith didn’t understand why, if they were curious about him all they had to do was walk over and ask directly. “You don’t think we’re in trouble, do you?”

“Maybe we should leave.” Keith furrowed his eyebrows together, confusion and panic settling in at the thought of his only potential playmates taking off for seemingly no reason. Why would they be in trouble? They weren’t even doing anything bad.

“He _is_ staring at us awfully close.” Vaguely, Keith was aware of the accusation in the boy’s tone, he knew that the right thing to do would have been to avert his gaze and politely stare at the ground instead. He couldn’t bring himself to look away though, blindsided by their reactions and still lost as to what he was doing wrong.

“It’s kind-of scary, he looks _mad_.”

“I’m not mad.” Keith mumbled under his breath, uncaring when Coran turned to look at him in concern. Keith was sulking now, a dark cloud settling over his head. The day was ruined. All he’d achieved by coming here was learning that people were scared of him. It didn’t matter whether he was trying to befriend royalty or common people, Keith never fit in. He was starting to suspect that maybe he’d been the problem all along.

Keith sighed heavily, feeling defeated as he rose to his feet to leave.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late, here’s the ball!”

“Huh?” Keith exclaimed, turning around just in time to watch as a ball soared through the air directly toward his face. He went cross-eyed trying to follow its downward spiral, frozen in place as his impending doom soared toward him.

“Duck!” The newest voice screeched, sounding positively hectic. Keith’s eyes fell on the source of the voice, lighting up at the boy running toward him with arms outstretched. He looked nice, like he’d be brave enough to approach Keith. Maybe there was a chance of making a friend today after all!

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did the ball finally make impact, hitting Keith’s forehead with a sickening thud and so much force his knobby little knees gave out beneath him. He promptly stumbled backward into the grass.

Coran was kneeling beside him in an instant, looking him over for serious injuries. Keith stared up at the sky above him, feeling dizzy and mostly out of it. His eyes stung with unshed tears, the telltale ache of a forming bruise covering the majority of his forehead.

The heavy footsteps of someone else approaching were what finally brought Keith back into focus, a pair of worn leather shoes coming to a stop beside him in the grass. “Oh man, I am _so_ sorry.”

“Hi.” Keith blurted, bolting upright into a sitting position and immediately regretting it. He groaned, holding a hand to his forehead and swatting Coran’s away from him. He didn’t need to be coddled. The other kids would think he was a _baby_ or something.

Keith grabbed the ball from where it’d fallen and placed it in his lap, looking up at the other boy through the mess of his hair. This kid looked like he had a good few years on Keith, he was probably ten or close to it. Maybe he would look at Keith as a baby regardless of how he acted.

The kid squinted at him, realization dawning on his features ever so slowly.

“You’re… _Prince Keith_? What are you doing here at the park?!”

“Playing.” Keith answered simply, holding up the ball in offering. The other boy reached out to take it, only to furrow his bushy eyebrows together in confusion when Keith _didn’t let go_. It wasn’t Keith’s fault really, but he’d just realized that if he gave it back then this boy might run off with it to join the ones that were scared of him. This was the closest he’d come to making a friend, he didn’t want to let it go.

Judging by the dimpled grin worming its way across the other boy’s face, he’d been found out. Suddenly the ball was snatched from Keith’s grip in one harsh tug, then thrown in the opposite direction toward the mean kids from before. Keith wasn’t the best at social cues, but he knew how to take a hint when it was handed to him that simply.

Keith moved to stand, only for a hand to be shoved into his line of view and waved insistently. He took it, yelping when the other boy yanked him back onto his feet with all of his strength.

“I’m Shiro.” The boy introduced himself, shaking Keith’s hand with so much force that Keith’s entire body seemed to shake right along with it.

“Keith.” Keith blurted dumbly, still struggling to catch up with the sudden whiplash of events. He had only just registered that interaction as a total rejection and now Shiro was introducing himself? What did this mean?

“Do you want to play together?”

“Yes!” Keith yelled eagerly, nearly pulling Shiro’s arm out of its socket when he whirled them around and started dragging them toward the field with the other kids. Shiro laughed behind him, clearly amused at how excited Keith was.

“I’ve never played against royalty before.”

“I’ve never played at all.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll teach you!” Shiro commented, waving to his other friends as they approached. Keith dropped Shiro’s wrist abruptly, suddenly reminded of the way these boys had talked about him. They didn’t look thrilled to see him coming their way.

This time Keith _did_ glare at them when they made eye contact. Hell if he was going to let them ruin this for him, he was in the process of making his very first normal friend.

As it turned out, Keith was actually pretty good at sports. So good, in fact, that the other boys grew annoyed with the way he was constantly beating them at their own game. They were loud in the way they complained about, accusing Keith of having beginner’s luck or having played before. Shiro always stood up for him though, but that might have been because they were on the same team and a win won by Keith was also a win for Shiro.

It was when they were finishing up their third game that the other boys approached Shiro with wide frowns and crossed arms. Keith hung back a few steps, uncertain about the confrontation. The sun had started to set about twenty minutes prior and he wasn’t used to being outside after dark.

“Shiro, it’s getting late. We really can’t play another round.” One of the boys insisted (Keith believed his name might have been Rolo). Shiro didn’t look happy with what he was hearing.

“Come on, guys, I’m just getting warmed up. We normally play way longer than this!” Upon hearing Shiro say that, the other two boys glared pointedly in Keith’s direction. It really drove home the fact that _he_ was the problem here, the one ruining their fun. In Shiro’s defense, he seemed blissfully oblivious to how much they disliked his new friend.

“Our parents will be worried.” Rolo settled on, though that clearly wasn’t why he was leaving early. Keith held his ground, trying not to outwardly show how much their rejection was bothering him. What did he ever do to them anyway? They didn’t like him just because he was a prince? How childish was that?

“Fine, go home.” Shiro told them, watching as they immediately stalked off back toward the cluster of townhouses on the eastern side of the village. Shiro turned to Keith then, lifting his eyebrows. “Do you have to go?”

At that, Keith finally thought to turn and look to Coran for the first time in hours. What he found was one completely unconscious royal advisor, passed out on a park bench and probably snoring softly. Keith’s eyes widened, realizing this was the first time in his entire life he didn’t have eyes on him or guardians within earshot.

His mother would be livid if she found out Coran was sleeping on the job, especially when his job was pretty much just to keep Keith safe. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, though… and Keith really didn’t want to leave his new friend yet. Even if it was getting dark...

“No.” Keith decided aloud, confident he’d made the right decision when Shiro immediately lit up into a smile and tossed him the ball. Keith caught it, but rather than throwing it back, he hesitated. There was something on his mind he couldn’t seem to chase away. “Won’t _your_ family be worried?”

“I doubt it. They have a pretty perfect record of never being worried about me so far.” Shiro told him, like that was a completely normal thing to say. Keith nodded, pretending to understand, but Shiro must have noticed the expression he was wearing because he explained further. “I stay at the children’s home on the north wing of the town.”

Keith had heard about the children’s home before, his parents frequently worked with it to try and look after all the local children that didn’t have families or homes. He’d never expected to meet anyone that lived there in person, though.

“You’re an orphan.” Keith registered. Shiro nodded.

“Is that… okay?”

“It’s fine.” Keith told him hurriedly, giving up on the game in favor of continuing the conversation closer together. He walked up to Shiro, gently handing him the ball back. “I’ve just never met someone like you before.”

“I get it.” Shiro laughed, though the sound wasn’t nearly as joyous and fun as it’d been earlier. Now it was quiet and uncomfortable, like the way Keith sounded after being scolded for something. He didn’t like it. “I’m used to not being normal.”

“No, I didn’t say that.” Keith said, not liking the way Shiro was assuming how he’d react. “You’re normal.”

“I’m really not, it’s fine.”

“You’re more normal than I am.” Keith argued, a frown on his lips. Shiro rolled his eyes, tossing the ball up into the air and catching it a few times. Judging by the direction their conversation was going it was unlikely they’d go back to playing carefree like they had earlier.

“Because you’re a prince? That must be _so_ difficult.” Shiro huffed, his sarcasm layered so thick that even Keith could pick up on it. Keith had always been a bit hot-headed, everyone said he took after his mother that way. He was impulsive and defensive, and there was nothing he hated more than people assuming they knew everything about him when they didn’t.

“No, because I’m magic!” Keith shouted, hands placed firmly on his hips. Shiro failed to catch the ball that time and it fell to the ground, forgotten completely.

Instead Shiro was looking at Keith again, with that same condescending glare, like he was talking to a baby. Keith was only _three years_ younger than him, they’d confirmed that earlier. He wasn’t a baby and he wasn’t lying.

“That’s not funny.” Shiro told him, making it clear that he thought Keith was joking, or making fun of him or something. Keith’s frown deepened at that thought. He wanted to bridge the gap between them, show Shiro that they had more in common than it seemed, not do the opposite. He looked down at his hands, biting his lips.

“Let me show you something.” Keith insisted, looking up at Shiro with a determined stare. Shiro nodded reluctantly, still not looking at all convinced.

Keith glanced back at Coran, confirming he was still asleep before turning back. He’d made up his mind about this, there was no going back. He’d sworn as many times as he could count to never, ever let the public find out about his magic. At least not until he was older, when he might know more about it and how to control it better. His mother made him promise to be careful with his magic more often than she allowed him to use it, which was immensely unfair in his opinion.

She would understand this situation though, surely. She was a fair queen, she loved her people dearly and she would be very disappointed in Keith if he made Shiro feel like he was anything other than normal. He was doing this for the greater good.

Also because Shiro was the only friend he’d ever made all on his own and he wanted to make sure they stayed close.

Keith turned to Shiro, nodding once toward the alleyway to their right. “Let’s go in there. I’m not really supposed to use my powers outside of the castle.”

The alley was a dark place, but there was just enough evening sunlight trickling in to make sure they could see each other. They stood face-to-face with baited breath, both filled with anticipation and anxiety respectively. Keith wrung his hands together with uncertainty, wondering what his mother would suggest if she were here.

“Look, it’s okay if you were lying to seem cool or whatever. I’ve known lots of kids that do that, but you’re a _prince_ , you don’t have to-” Shiro abruptly cut himself off, jaw dropping as he watched the snowflakes fall heavily around them. He tipped his head back, staring up at the bright summer’s sky overhead in confusion. He looked to Keith then, eyes widening as he saw the way his hands were glowing faintly.

Shiro laughed, loud and heartfelt, and Keith grinned at the approval. He turned to the brick wall at his side and immediately started to draw pictures with ice against the surface, including a mockery of Shiro’s face that had them both giggling. “Prince Keith, this is amazing!”

“Just Keith.” He corrected immediately, shaking his head. He turned back to Shiro, waiting until he’d managed to reign his powers back in before extending his chilly hand out to Shiro again. This time the handshake was much gentler, more personal, filled with a mutual respect. “Call me Keith.”

“It’s winter in the middle of summer, but only for us!” Shiro shouted, kneeling to gather the thin layer of snow on the ground into a big pile. He grinned, rolling it into a ball and throwing it at Keith. “Snowball fight!”

“Snowball f-” Keith started to repeat, unfamiliar with the term. Fighting was generally very frowned upon when it came to princely behaviors. He wasn’t at all prepared when a mass of slushy snow hit him in the face. He screeched, throwing his hands up defensively. “Hey!”

“You suck at this!”

“Stop!” Keith laughed, rapidly brushing snow out of his white hair. He was laughing uncontrollably, having the best time he’d had in months. He scooped snow into his hands, desperately trying to make a snowball arsenal of his own while Shiro continued to pelt him with them. “Give me a chance to catch up!”

“You have the magic snow powers, you should be giving me time to catch up!” Shiro challenged, bright and bubbly. Keith’s eyes widened in realization, feeling almost stupid for not naturally defaulting to that. He was just so unused to using his powers in a casual setting.

He smirked, making a mound of snowballs with a simple wave of his hands. Shiro was still behind him, throwing snowball after snowball mercilessly toward his head. “All you have to do is say mercy and admit defeat, then I’ll stop.”

“Never!” Keith shouted, spinning around and using his magic to send all of the snowballs spiraling toward Shiro at once. It was safe to say that Keith had never done this or anything like this before, so when Shiro immediately went down like a bag of bricks… Keith didn’t instantly know that something was wrong. For a moment that felt like hours but could only have been seconds, Keith was smiling like a fool and positively overjoyed.

He was so proud of himself for finally making a friend, so thrilled to have someone he could share this part of himself with other than his own two parents.

It was only when Shiro said absolutely nothing in retaliation, made no move whatsoever to get back to his feet, simply laid there in the snow… that it clicked. It clicked all at once, the smile on Keith’s face withering away into something small and filled with fear. A cloud of dread settled over him and he knew, even before confirming anything, he _knew_ he’d done something terrible.

“Shiro?” Keith called, laughing nervously as he stumbled through the snow. He tripped in his rush to reach Shiro’s side, falling to his knees beside his new friend. “Are you okay?”

No response.

“Shiro, come on, say something.” Keith pleaded, his voice breaking. His chest started to feel too tight to breathe around. Panic rose in the back of his throat, making him feel nauseous. Keith settled his hands on Shiro’s shoulders and gently rolled the older boy onto his back.

Keith inhaled sharply, eyes blown fearfully wide as he reached out to touch the small tuft of Shiro’s hair that was rapidly whitening before his very eyes. It looked just like Keith’s, stark and cold, out of place against the contrasting black.

He gently shook Shiro, begging and pleading for him to just wake up. He was speaking under his breath, hushed and urgent whispers, bordering on hysteric as the seconds ticked by. “Please wake up, please be okay. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

“Prince Keith!” Coran yelled from the distance, his voice filled with concern. Keith bolted upright, staring toward the mouth of the alley with his heart racing frantically in his chest. He scrambled away from the light and into the shadows, plastering himself against the brick wall as the tears started to slide down his cheeks in ugly, fat droplets. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tighter as a sob wracked his frame.

Regret had settled over him like a heavy blanket, keeping him from moving or saying anything. He shouldn’t have come here today, shouldn’t have pushed so hard for freedom he clearly wasn’t ready to have.

Keith heard the approaching footsteps without having to look up. He curled in on himself tighter, trying to make himself as small as possible to block out the outside world. The footsteps stopped no more than a few feet away, then a gasp followed. “What have you _done_?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Keith spluttered, coughing on the words. “I swear I didn’t-”

“His heart is still beating, he’s still alive.” Coran interrupted him. Keith lifted his head, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes. He watched as Coran lifted Shiro into his arms and got to his feet, looking resigned. “Let’s get him back to the castle, the King will know what to do.”

The moment they stepped through the gates onto the castle grounds, Keith was wrapped up in his mother’s arms and hugged within an inch of his life. Normally this display would have had him gagging and protesting vehemently, but as it was he simply relaxed against her and shook with the effort it took to hold his tears back. It’d been a long, terrifying day and it wasn’t over yet. It was days like these that he realized just how much he took his mother’s affection for granted.

“Coran Heironymous Wimbleton Smythe, you have _so much_ explaining to do.” Keith’s mother practically growled the words, clearly not too impressed about the late hour they’d made it back. When Coran didn’t respond, she backed away from the hug she was sharing with Keith enough to investigate. Her breath caught when she saw the unconscious boy. “Who is that?”

“A boy Keith met in the park.” Coran explained, looking toward the castle. “He’s injured. We need to speak to the King.”

They found the King in the throne room, speaking with some of the castle staff. Their conversation was cut short by Coran’s frantic shouting as he placed the boy into Keith’s father’s throne. He looked so small against the backdrop of red velvet, pale as a ghost and limp as a ragdoll. Try as she may, Krolia couldn’t keep her son from being here, from witnessing it all.

Keith was standing to the side, watching it all unfold with wide impressionable eyes.

“God, he’s barely hanging on.” The King whispered, checking the unconscious boy’s vitals over to see how far gone he was. He looked up, frowning tightly as he turned to Coran. “Keith did this? My boy?”

“I believe it was an accident, your Majesty.” Coran answered, eyes flitting nervously to where Keith was standing within earshot. It wasn’t that his father was an uncaring man, or even a cruel one, he was just very gruff and self-focused. He wasn’t an affectionate or sensitive person, probably hadn’t even thought once about the impact his words could have on Keith.

“I know a place where we can get him help, but we don’t have a second to spare. He’s fading fast. I don’t know if he’ll make it. Look at the way the ice is overtaking his entire arm.”

_Fading fast. I don’t know if he’ll make it._

“Mama, is Shiro dying?” Keith asked, tugging on his mother’s sleeve and staring up at her with his face still streaked with teartracks. He felt slightly better now, calm in his mother’s presence as he leaned into her side. She was the polar opposite of his father, constantly singing to and coddling Keith all throughout his childhood. Just the simple feeling of her fingers carding through his shaggy hair had him feeling safe.

“He’s going to be fine, no need to worry.” Krolia insisted, despite not being entirely confident in that statement herself. She just couldn’t bring herself to crush his hopes, to hurt him any worse than he’d already been by this entire experience. “We just need to get him to the people who can help as soon as possible. Come on.”

No sooner had she turned to lead Keith toward the stables where their horses awaited, had a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She turned to her husband, taking note of the limp boy in his arms.

“Krolia. Is it really the best idea? Taking him with us?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? He’s our son.”

“He’s our son with powers beyond our control. We have no idea what he’s capable of. This is what he can do unintentionally, imagine if he let his temper get the better of him and _tried_ to inflict damage.” His father argued, as if Keith wasn’t standing right there listening to every word. And listen he did, closely admitting the words to memory. His father was right after all, none of them had any clue what he could do when he’d spent his entire life being so careful. “Think of the kingdom.”

“Think of our _family_.” His mother snapped, leaning down to button Keith’s coat and tuck a hat onto his head. She turned back to her husband, glaring. “He’s coming with us. End of story.”

The journey up the mountain by horse wasn’t a particularly long one, especially not with the rapid speed they were urging the animals to travel at. Keith was tucked against his mother’s front, shaking with every gallop the horse would take up the grassy slope.

Keith wasn’t entirely aware of what he’d been expecting their destination to look like, but the grassy knoll they finally stopped at wasn’t it. The place was deserted, no other people in sight. Who could possibly help them here?

When rocks started to roll down the hill and out of every shadow, Keith thought he was dreaming. He rubbed at his hands, pulling on his mother’s hold in a desperate plea to go investigate. The rocks rolled up to them, unfurling into an entire village of little rock trolls. One in particular lumbered directly up to them, dressed in a fancy crown made of nature.

“Greetings King of Arendelle. I am Slav. Current leader of this troll colony.” He introduced himself, looking between the two young boys. Even as his father lowered Shiro down onto the ground at the troll’s height, Slav focused on Keith. His gaze was sympathetic and knowing. “Born with it or cursed?”

“Born.” His father answered. “Now, about the other boy, is there anything you can-”

“You’re lucky it wasn’t his heart.” Slav interrupted, looking deeply troubled as he examined Shiro’s wounds using his own magic. Keith watched closely, feeling hope start to rise in his chest. Shiro had to be okay, he just had to. “The heart is not so easily changed, but the head… can be persuaded.”

“Anything you need, you have our support.” The King insisted, pulling Krolia closer and sheltering Keith between them. The Queen kneeled, propping Shiro up against her shoulder.

“What about the arm?” She asked softly, pushing the boy’s hair back. Keith followed her gaze to Shiro’s arm, his bottom lip wobbling guiltily at the ice that was quickly engulfing the entire limb. It had to have been frozen all the way through by now and it was rapidly spreading. Slav had better do his magic fast and fix it.

“There’s only so much I can do.”

“I understand.”

“We’re going to bring him back, but I think it’d be best if he… forgot all of this. Near-death experiences have a tendency to haunt a person, especially something as bizarre and inexplicable as this.” Slav softly explained, gently settling his hand over Shiro’s forehead. “If we left this burden on him, it could reverse our healing with time.”

“It’s better this way, there won’t be a risk of him telling the kingdom about Keith.” The King explained, patting his son on the head. “Yes, erase the memories.”

Slav’s hand began to glow and Keith panicked, his little hand darting out to settle on the troll’s wrist. The glow faded, a hushed silence falling over the clearing and everyone in it. Keith exhaled shakily, trying not to cry again.

“Is he going to forget me?”

“No, just your magic and any memories of it.” The troll explained, smiling sadly at Keith. Reluctantly, Keith pulled his hand back and nodded his approval for the ceremony to continue. It still stung though, the fact that some of the best memories he had were going to be one-sided. But if it was what it took to save Shiro, he would give up more than memories.

After it was all said and done, the color slowly returned to Shiro’s face. The white hair hadn’t gone back to normal, and his arm was still caged in ice, but it wasn’t spreading any longer and they’d definitely have something back at the castle to help. Maybe all Shiro needed now was a warm fire.

Slav turned his focus to Keith then, his expression unreadable. “Listen to me, Keith. Your power will only grow.”

“I know.” Keith whispered, casting a wary glance up to his parents. He hadn’t told them this yet, but lately it’d been getting difficult to keep from freezing things when his hands touched them. He could feel it in his veins, how much stronger his powers were growing by the day.

“There is beauty in it,” Slav told him, turning to gesture to the sky. Dancing figures made out of frost soared through the sky, showcasing beautiful unique snowflakes and smiling faces. Something shifted then, the comforting icy blue turning into a fiery red. Slav sighed, “but also great _danger_.”

“Mama.” Keith gasped, stumbling backward and cuddling into the fabric of his mother’s dress. She shushed him, hugging him closer still as he started to tremble.

“You must learn to control it.” Slav continued, gesturing back to the figures in the sky. Keith was only half paying attention though, eyes drifting to Shiro’s face. How could he ever control something so strong and unpredictable? He knew nothing about it, only that it could hurt people. The people he cared about were at most risk. “Fear will be your enemy.”

“Is there any way to stop it?” His mother spoke, her tone urgent. Keith looked up at her, realizing for the first time that she was just as scared as his father was, as he was. None of them knew what to expect from his powers. None of them knew how to prepare for it. “Keith deserves a normal life, this isn’t fair.”

“We’ll protect him. He can learn to control it, I’m sure.” His father commented, leaning over to gather Shiro back into his arms. He stood then, eyebrows drawn together in thought. “Until then we’ll lock the gates, we’ll reduce the castle staff, we will limit his contact with people... and keep his powers secret from everyone.”

“Don’t you think that’s counteractive?” The Queen huffed, looking at her husband like she didn’t even recognize the man. She turned to Keith, her beautiful baby boy, and wondered why the universe had dealt him these cards. _Born with it or cursed_ , the troll had asked, but it was a loaded question. It was a curse no matter how you looked at it. “Fear is the enemy. Locking him away like he’s some kind of monster will only breed fear. He’ll be afraid of himself, of all things.”

_Some kind of monster._

“Krolia.” His father spoke with finality, clearly not wanting to debate this particular topic when he’d already made up his mind. “He’s a danger to the kingdom, he’s a danger to himself. It’s for the best.”

_A danger to the kingdom._

“No, it’s for _your_ best.” It wasn’t often that she raised her voice, but the Queen could really drive an argument home when she wanted to. She wasn’t the type to back down. “You care more about your image than you do our son. Can’t you see how terrified he is right now?! We can’t push him away just because we’re scared.”

_We’re scared._

“Our son nearly _killed_ someone tonight!” The King yelled those words so ferociously it was a wonder the entire forest didn’t hear them. He hesitated afterward though, watching the way his wife recoiled from him like she’d been struck. He sighed, rubbing his thumb into the stressed lines of his forehead. “I’m doing what I have to. I’d appreciate your respect during this time.”

_Nearly killed someone._

“You’d appreciate my complacency, the same way you always do!”

“Stop!” Keith cried out, his voice wavering with the sheer force he put into the yell. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed, feeling the telltale thrum of his magic sparking in his fingertips, threatening to spill over at any second. It seemed directly reliant on his emotions, meaning the current growing panic and fear in his chest had it scratching at the surface and begging to be let out.

Keith did his best to swallow it down. He looked between his parents pleadingly. “I don’t… care. I don’t want to leave the castle anymore. I don’t mind. Just, _please_ , stop fighting because of me.”

After that, Keith closed off for the rest of the night. Even as they climbed back on their horses and headed back to the castle, he didn’t speak a word. When he climbed into bed, he caught himself silently wondering if maybe the kingdom would be better off if he never got out of it again. His parent’s words were still ringing loudly in his ears, keeping him constantly aware of the magic buzzing in his fingertips. It wasn’t a casual thing, it never had been, but now it was a constant threat.

Who would he hurt by accident next? Would they even be able to save them?

That night was the first in his entire life that Keith couldn’t sleep. He ended up catching a few odd hours throughout the night, but ultimately every wink of sleep ended in another nightmare about the events of the day. And for the first time in his entire life, he didn’t run to his parents bedchambers for comfort. He simply stayed there, sitting upright in his bed.

After all, it wasn’t a nightmare monster or the shadows of his room that were scaring him tonight. It was something much, much more personal. Something he couldn’t run away from or expect anyone else to protect him from. God forbid he scare them any worse than he already had.

When the next morning came and Keith heard the familiar soft creak of his mother pushing his bedroom door open, he pretended to be asleep. He stayed stock still, eyes clenched tightly shut, fists curled around the sheets and shaking. He listened to the telltale footsteps of her crossing the room, kneeling next to his bed like she did every morning to wake him up.

His mind followed the routine though, remembering what would come next. So when she reached out to brush his hair back from his face, Keith flinched away to the other side of the bed. He scrambled upright, staring wide-eyed back at her shocked face. His cover was blown. She knew he hadn’t been asleep to begin with now. But he couldn’t let her touch him, not knowing what he was capable of doing to another person.

What if he _hurt_ her?

“Keith.”

“Don’t touch me.” Keith insisted, wrapping the blankets around himself and staring warily back at her. He hoped she would respect his wishes and not try to bridge the gap between them again. “ _Please_ , don’t touch me.”

His mother recoiled, the hand that’d stayed in the air between them slowly shifting back to her lap. She sighed, looking down at the bedspread contemplatively. When she looked up again, a forced smile had dawned on her lips, faux positivity oozing from her expression.

“Shiro is awake, would you like to see him?” Keith’s eyes widened, mouth hanging slack in awe. He hadn’t expected Shiro to wake up so quickly, but moreover he hadn’t expected to ever see him again after the events of last night. With the memory erasing, he’d figured they were to move on and forget as best they could as well.

Keith didn’t want to forget, not really. Until everything had fallen apart, yesterday had been one of the best days of his life. Shiro was the best friend he’d ever made, even though they’d only just met. He wanted to explore that more, craved the regularity and the simplicity of a normal childhood friendship so badly it hurt.

But he couldn’t afford to want those things now, could he?

“Send him home.” Keith ordered, staring toward the far wall and avoiding eye contact at any costs. His mother could see right through him when he lied to her face. “I don’t want to see him.”

“Sweetheart, how much do you know about Shiro?”

“Enough.” Keith huffed, crossing his arms.

“Then you know that he doesn’t really have a home to go back to?” She countered, voice knowing. Keith felt his perfectly impassive expression fall, eyes darting to his mother’s warm gaze. “He’s going to stay with us from now on, Keith. He’s going to be your big brother.”

The information hit Keith like a punch to the gut. It settled heavy in the air between them, impossible to process mid-conversation. He blinked a few times, uncertain how he was meant to feel. Before today, this would have been everything he’d ever wanted. All he’d ever wanted was a friend to rely on, having one that lived in the castle with him would be so much fun. How could he guiltlessly enjoy the new friend now? Knowing what had caused the decision?

“What if I hurt him again?” Keith whispered, panicked already.

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that!” He yelled, feeling defensive and cornered. He stumbled backward, feeling his powers spiking along with his emotions, a devastating reminder of just how wrong she was. He had no control over this. There was no way to predict what would happen next. “I don’t want to hurt people.”

“And you won’t.” His mother insisted, stepping closer and slowly moving to cup his face between her hands. When he didn’t immediately push her away, she pulled him into a hug. “You’re going to learn to control your powers.”

“I can’t.” Keith whimpered, hiding his hands behind his back in fear that she’d see the ice crawling along his forearm.

“You must.” His father insisted, catching their attention from where he was leaning in the doorway. They both turned to face him. “If you’re to be king of this land someday, then you need to have control over yourself. There are people counting on you to be a leader. You need to learn to lead yourself first.”

“Honey.”

“No, Krolia, this is important.” The King huffed, walking over to kneel in front of Keith. “Your powers are dangerous. You heard the trolls. You’ve seen what they can do. They’re not a good thing.”

“I know that.” Keith snapped, offended that anyone would assume otherwise. Of course he understood the weight of what he’d done the night before. It was all he could think about, the fact that his hands had the potential to end a life.

“Then you know that you must keep them locked away inside of yourself from now on, correct?” His father interrogated him further, looking undeniably expectant of him. Keith nodded, digging his nails into his palms and slowly willing the ice on his skin to dissipate. “You can’t let this curse rule you.”

“These are for you.” His mother interrupted, handing him a box. Keith slowly pulled the cover back, staring at the pair of expensive-looking gloves inside. He looked up at his parents in confusion, uncertain how to interpret their pained expressions. “It’ll help you keep it inside.”

Keith wasn’t entirely sure that was the truth, but he slipped the gloves onto his hands anyway. He would take any help he could get. His parents seemed to approve, his mother taking his newly-gloved hands and leading him toward the door. He followed after them, hyper-aware of the feeling of the contact on his hand.

“Now, will you please come welcome Shiro into the family?” They laughed lightheartedly, like this was meant to be a joyous occasion. Keith laughed along, trying to find that same happiness and feel it for their sakes.

Shiro was staying in one of their many guests rooms, specifically the one that was the shortest distance from Keith’s own room. It wasn’t all that far, so Keith didn’t have near enough time to prepare for what was waiting on the other side of that door.

“Keith!” Shiro greeted brightly, jumping off of the bed and running to greet them. He was smiling so wide, looking at Keith with the same friendliness before everything had happened. It really drove home the fact that he couldn’t remember any of the things Keith was hopelessly dwelling on.

His parents shoved him gently forward, encouraging him to interact. “I can’t believe you live here! It’s amazing.”

“Thank-you.” Keith answered in a strained voice, eyes falling to the sleeve of Shiro’s sweater. It was flopping around limply, like there was nothing inside. Keith’s mind went abruptly blank.

“God, the halls are so big we could play ball _inside_!” Shiro laughed, not noticing the wide-eyed way Keith was eyeing him for a long moment. When he finally did, the smile fell from his face in an instant, that same wary look from the day before when Keith had first found out about his home-life coming back around. “What’s wrong?”

“Your arm.” Keith managed, stumbling backward and plastering himself against his mother’s front. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. He shrugged away from the touch, eyes glued to that sleeve of Shiro’s sweater.

“Oh yeah, it’s all bandaged up underneath. It doesn’t even hurt.” Shiro told him, grinning widely as he pulled his sweater down just enough to show off the medical white of bandages.

“Our best doctors are on the case, working to make him a prosthetic arm.” The King interjected, as if he could sense all of the questions swirling in Keith’s head. When had this happened? Why hadn’t anyone warned him? He’d… he’d taken Shiro’s _arm_ from him.

“Yeah, the doctors were telling me about what happened.” Shiro laughed, looking down at himself with a thoughtful grin. “I guess I had a pretty serious infection or something? Your parents offered to cover the medical charges because the orphanage wouldn’t have been able to pay for such an operation. I really appreciate that. I won’t let it slow me down any when I go back, the other kids will probably think it’s a sick battle scar.”

None of it was true. All of his memories had been swapped out for lies, things that he would go his entire life believing. He would never know the truth. He would never blame Keith. He would never be spiteful or angry with Keith for taking away so much from him. He would never know.

“Keith? Would you like to tell him?” Keith looked up at his father, having totally spaced out of the conversation. Shiro was staring expectantly at him, but Keith didn’t know what he was meant to say to him. The words on the tip of his tongue were definitely not ones he was allowed to speak.

He just wanted Shiro to know the truth, he deserved that much.

“You’re going to stay here.” His mother interrupted the silence hurriedly, clearly picking up on the tension growing between them. She kneeled, opening her arms in invitation to Shiro. He looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, clearly not computing. “We’re _adopting_ you.”

“What?” Shiro laughed, disbelief written all across his face. He look from the Queen to the King, then his gaze settled on Keith accompanied by a hesitant, hopeful smile. “The royal family wants to adopt _me_?”

“Yes.” The Queen laughed, nearly doubling over backward when Shiro tackle-hugged her. “We have more than enough room in our home and our hearts for another little boy.”

“Thank-you!” Shiro shouted, the words slurred as he audibly started to sob. “ _Thank-you so much_.”

“You don’t need to thank us, we’re happy to have you.”

“Does this mean I’m a _prince_ now?!” Shiro shouted, so obviously and loudly ecstatic that it made Keith’s head hurt. Didn’t he realize what this was? It wasn’t the magical gift he was making it out to be, it was a consolation prize for losing his arm and nearly losing his life. It wasn’t a _good_ thing.

Shiro turned to him then, the both of them staring each other in the eye. Shiro was breathless, his mixed emotions written all over his face. Keith’s face was completely blank, his thoughts and feelings buried appropriately deep.

Shiro jumped toward him suddenly, giggling like a fool. “Keith! We’re gonna be brothers from now o-”

“Don’t touch me!” Keith screamed, flinching backward so violently his back hit the door. He scrambled against it, hand frantically searching for the knob until he managed to push it open. He needed to get out of here fast. He couldn’t stand it, couldn’t stand the starry-eyed way Shiro was looking at him.

When he glanced back, the stars had vanished from Shiro’s eyes. His happy smile had shifted into something hurt in a matter of seconds following Keith’s rejection. Keith hated it, but in a sick sort of way he felt it was appropriate. If this was the _real_ Shiro with all of his memories then he’d certainly be looking at Keith in that same heartbroken, distrustful way.

Keith stumbled backward out of the room, struggling to hold back tears. “I’m going back to my room.”

“Keith.” His mother attempted to follow him, but the King’s hand settled heavily on her arm so all she could do was watch. She watched as Keith took off down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him, swiping at his face with his sleeve all the while.

“Let him go.” The King whispered, patting her back comfortingly. “He’ll be okay, he just needs some time to adjust.”

\--

Eleven years had passed since Shiro had joined the royal family. Many things could happen in that kind of timespan. Keith had spent the entirety of it avoiding human touch like the plague, only ever allowing his mother near to him, and even then he spent every second petrified that he would hurt her. So when both of his parents were lost at sea, Keith tried to accept it as a blessing. At least it hadn’t been _him_ to take them out of this world. At least now he could hold himself at an arm’s distance away from _everyone_ and never feel obligated to take the risk of letting someone in again.

When Keith tried to pull himself away from the world entirely and hide away in his room for the rest of eternity, Shiro wouldn’t allow it. They were all they had in this world now, other than the few staff members that had stayed in the castle after the King and Queen’s passing. For the first time, Shiro confronted him about the distance between them.

“I understand that you don’t like human touch, I figured that out a long time ago and I accept that about you. I also know you’re not too fond of people as a whole, but we _need_ each other. Even if it’s from a distance, let me stay in your life. Don’t cut me off completely just because our parents are gone.”

Keith was only eleven at the time, Shiro was only fourteen, and they’d come to a tentative agreement the day of their parent’s funeral. From that day on they ate meals together, they studied together, and they never locked each other out. Not physically, anyway. There were parts of Keith’s mind that he would keep Shiro out of until the day he died.

Many things could happen over the course of eleven years, but the one thing that _hadn’t_ was Keith “adjusting”.

After nearly killing Shiro, he never could look at himself the same. He never would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are my social medias, if you wanna slide me a subtle comment I'll gobble it Right up.
> 
> twitter - https://twitter.com/MelancholyMango
> 
> tumblr - melancholymango.tumblr.com
> 
> wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/user/MelancholyMango


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back with another chapter, huzzah! In general I think with most of my fics I'm gonna aim for once a month updates, I know that's spaced out but LISTen!! I'm writing like twenty different fics at once... I'm doing my diddly-darn best, folks.

Keith didn’t sleep much the night before his coronation, but he expected that. It was more the toll that two nights mostly without sleep would take on his body that he _ didn’t _ expect. As the late night hours passed he could feel the air around him growing colder, the sleep-deprived shaking in his hands and flipping in his emotions making a power combo of disaster. He could physically _ feel  _ how unstable his powers were getting, like a glass of water filled too close to the brim and threatening to splash over the edge with the slightest movement.

It wasn’t good. It was especially not good because he was expected to stand in front of an audience of strangers today and present his case as their new leader. Who would want a leader who couldn’t even control himself?

The exhaustion didn’t catch up to Keith until it was nearly time for him to start getting ready, but he was nothing if not blatantly selfish and indulgent. So he snuggled up in his bed anyway, just barely managing to drift off to sleep before a loud knock startled him back awake.

He felt the frustrated tears as they formed in his eyes.

“Keith.” Shiro’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?”

“No.” Keith answered, not at all surprised when the sound of the door creaking open immediately followed. He sighed, pulling the covers over his head to hide. “ _ Shiro _ , what did I  _ just  _ say?”

Keith’s menacing tone did absolutely nothing to discourage Shiro, he’d long ago worked up an immunity to his younger brother’s scare tactics. A moment later and Keith felt the foot of the bed dip under Shiro’s added weight as he made himself comfortable. Keith groaned.

“Big day, huh?” Shiro continued to press, whistling under his breath in an attempt to clear the air. “Our parents would be proud.”

“I don’t think I can do this.” The words slipped past Keith’s lips before he could bite them back, voice cracking under the weight of them. His hands were curled into tight fists around his sheets, ice creeping along the fabric as he felt his control chipping away.

“You can. You’re the strongest person I know.”

“It should be you.” Keith whispered, quiet and spiteful. 

“Keith, we’ve discussed this before.” Shiro sighed heavily, reminding Keith again of why they’d vowed to avoid this conversation in the past. 

Shiro wanted to be king, would fit the role so well and effortlessly, but he could never be. Whereas Keith was fated to be, no matter how much he despised the thought of having that responsibility. “I’m only adopted. I don’t have royal blood. The people know this, they’d never be happy with me as a leader.”

“Maybe they should try being more open minded.”

“Maybe  _ you _ should.” 

“I’m _ trying _ .” Keith insisted, sitting up suddenly and staring back at Shiro. This was the first time they’d looked at each other throughout the conversation, given the blanket that’d been between them. Shiro didn’t look shocked at all to see how messy and zombie-like Keith looked, but the worry that’d already been in his eyes seemed to multiply. 

Keith stared back, noticing that Shiro was already completely dressed in his suit with his hair slicked back respectively.  _ He  _ looked like a king. Keith barely looked human right about now.

“You don’t have to take all of this on alone, you know. I’ll be here to help you in whatever way I can. All you need to do is ask.” 

“Shiro.” Keith whispered, trying harder than he should have had to to keep his voice steady. He eyed Shiro’s hand where it rested between them on the mattress, outstretched and a silent invitation. Even after all these years of Keith blatantly rejecting and despising human touch, Shiro was still trying to give him an out. Just in case he changed his mind. Shiro never gave up on him. Not once. 

Maybe just this once Keith could give him the same. His ungloved pinky finger inched closer to Shiro’s hand, hesitant but hopeful for the first time in a long time. “There’s... something I have to tell you.”

“Prince Keith! There are guests beginning to gather outside, do we have your permission to open the gates and invite them into the courtyard?” The voice boomed through the closed door of his bedroom, heavy fist banging against the wood. Keith flinched, hands darting back to his lap.

“Come on, it’s about time you familiarized yourself with the kingdom you’re to lead.” Shiro laughed, noticing his dazed state. He turned back to the door then, cupping his hands around his mouth and early whooping. “Yes, open the gates!” 

“I’ll pass the message along.” The servant snickered from the other side of the door, sounding thoroughly amused. There was a scuffle on the floor as if they were turning to leave, but then the door was creaking open and a familiar face poked into the room. “Prince Shiro, shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

“I am.” Shiro insisted, glancing down at himself. In that instant he seemed to find ten things wrong with the folding of his cuffs and collars, as well as the few medals displayed on his chest. He fidgeted for a moment before looking back up, smiling sheepishly. “Er, I will be. I just wanted to talk to my brother first.”

“You’re interrupting, Maria.” Keith deadpanned, glaring petulantly in her direction. He couldn’t help but feel irked, that was the closest he’d ever managed to get to maybe, possibly being accepted. Her eyes widened, clearly worried that she’d upset the King-to-be.

“I’m sorry, your Highness. Shall I come back later? Once you’ve finished?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Shiro interjected before Keith could even get a word in edgewise, his tone completely final. He was glaring at Keith out of the corner of his eye, that same reminder to treat their servants with respect that Keith was so frequently given. He sighed loudly, watching as Shiro got to his feet to leave. “We’ll have plenty of time to speak later.”

It wasn’t long after he was left alone to his devices in his room that another knock sounded, breaking him away from another almost-nap he could have had.

“I’ve brought your suit.” Coran’s voice called out, sounding antsy and stressed. He was managing most of the preparations for today’s event, he was surely feeling overwhelmed right about now. Keith tried his best to pity the royal advisor, but it was hard to bring himself out of his own blackened haze.

He answered the door, pulling it back and allowing the overzealous man to skip inside. He threw the suit bag onto the bed and immediately unzipped it, holding up the outfit Keith would be wearing for the rest of the day. A beautiful, luxury suit. “What do you think? The most skilled tailors in the kingdom have been working on it for months.”

“It looks like my father’s.” Keith managed weakly, still holding onto the doorknob and uncertain he’d be able to stand on his own if he walked away from it now. He stared slack jawed at the suit in front of him, the same colors as his late father’s. A mixture of black and red fabrics, adorned with intricate gold accessories and detailing. It was simpler than his father’s, no doubt because Coran had warned the tailors that Keith wasn’t as confident or as flashy.

It was still his father’s suit though, just dressed down. He’d worn his on a daily basis, always dressing formally to represent the kingdom well. 

“Similar, yes.” Coran confirmed, warily eyeing Keith’s reaction to that. “Will that be a problem? When we asked you to specify preferences you stated that you had none, so I gave the tailors total creative freedom.”

Keith stepped closer, running his hands over the sleeves appreciatively. He blinked, turning to Coran and pointing to the door.

“Get out.” Keith snapped shortly. Coran’s eyes widened, clearly misinterpreting it as Keith being upset with the suit. Keith sighed, turning away from him and facing only the suit. “I would like to get changed in private. Will that be a problem?”

“No, your Highness.” Coran answered, sounding relieved. Then he was hurriedly scurrying out of the room, leaving Keith alone with his thoughts to process.

The physical act of putting the suit onto his body wasn’t the hard part. It wasn’t all that complicated, he has worn enough suits in his lifetime that he understood how the basics worked. No, the real struggle came in the form of working up the courage to look at himself once it was on. The mirror was right behind him, all he had to do was look, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He stared down at his hands, at the sharp color contrast of the suit against his white gloves. He turned them over, slowly pulling the gloves off and tossing them onto the floor. His skin wasn’t that far off from the same shade of white if he was being honest, but he wanted to see them without the gloves on for a change. He turned them over, frowning at the deep blue of his veins and the ice shavings in his hands. 

He curled them into tight fists, eyes falling closed.

“Conceal, don’t feel.” Keith whispered to himself, over and over again like he could drill the mantra into his brain any further than he already had. He spun around before he could talk himself out of it again, eyes flying open and reflecting back to him in the mirror. 

The person in the mirror wasn’t Keith. It couldn’t be. 

His gaze flitted over the reflection rapidly, trying to take it all in. He looked more like his father than himself, the image of wealthy professionalism. Nothing about the person he was looking at matched up with who he was inside. But that was a good thing, wasn’t it? The person he was inside was no leader, not in the slightest, but he  _ was _ trying to fool an entire nation into accepting him as one.

Keith stepped closer, reaching up to run his hands across his tired face, through his messy hair. He pushed it back, pretended it were black instead of the unnatural white. He would have been the spitting image of his father. He blinked rapidly, beginning to shake his head.

He didn’t like it. He was quite certain of that all of the sudden. He  _ hated _ it, even. He didn’t know who this person was, but it wasn’t him. And the longer Keith spent staring at the stranger in the mirror, the more uncertain he was when he’d be able to see himself again.

With his hands already curled into fists, it really came as no surprise when they flew a moment later and smashed the mirror. Glass shattered across the floor, ice darting along the floorboards between the broken pieces and surrounding the entire room. Keith cursed, cradling his bleeding hand and trying not to get it on the suit as he looked around the room. It looked like a winter wonderland, jagged icicles hanging from the ceiling and coating the floor.

A quiet knock sounded on his door, much more nervous than anyone else that had stopped by today. It must have been one of the servants he didn’t interact with as much.

“Prince Keith? Are you almost ready? We still need to style your hair.”

“Is Shiro around? I wish to speak with him.” Keith called, walking over to the door and bracing his hand against it to make sure no one would burst in. The servant girl hummed, sounding contemplative.

“He’s already in the courtyard welcoming guests, I’m afraid.” She said, knocking again and attempting to twist the doorknob. Keith nearly growled. “May I come in?”

“No!” Keith snapped, cold and distant. He heard the stumbling step backward she took away from the door and he couldn’t even find it within himself to feel bad about it. He slipped his glove onto one hand, then grabbed a shirt out of his drawers and wrapped it around his injured hand. “I’ll style my own hair.”

“Your Highness, I  _ really _ wish you’d hear me out. There are many important trade partners attending your coronation, it’d be in your best interest to look as presentable as possi-” She was interrupted by the door swinging open, Keith carefully stepping to block her view of the room inside. He stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

They stared at each other for a long moment, before he promptly turned and left without a word. “You can’t just leave! Your hair hasn’t even been brushed!”

“I’m going to find Shiro.” Keith replied, not even slowing his step. He hurried away from her, down the hall and toward the front of the castle. He ignored every person that saw him and attempted to pull him aside, everyone wanting his opinions and approval on all of the event-arranging tasks. He brushed them off, uncaring toward all of it.

He stepped out onto the balcony a moment later, looking down over the courtyard a few feet below and searching the crowd for his brother. It took a few seconds, but eventually the people below started to notice him.

“There he is! The new king!” 

“Is the coronation complete already?”

“Your Majesty, what are your plans for countering the rising-” Keith turned away, having spotted Shiro in the crowds. He ran down the steps, shoving his way through the crowds and trying his hardest to keep his hands to himself. He came up behind Shiro, biting his lip as he gently poked a finger into his brother’s shoulder.

“Shiro.” When he turned around, there was an awed sort of look on his face even before he’d laid eyes on Keith’s outfit. That was the first time Keith had willingly touched anyone since the death of their parents. Even something that small felt substantial after so long with nothing at all.

“Keith.” Shiro chuckled in disbelief, looking Keith over with wide uncomprehending eyes. It was like he couldn’t believe what had just happened or what he was looking at. “You look… amazing. You look so much like our father. Wow. I’m so proud of you.”

“We need to close the gates.” Keith whispered, leaning closer still even though he was hyper-aware of his hands pressed into his chest. Shiro pulled away from him though, taking a step back and staring at Keith like he’d lost his mind.

“ _ What _ ?” Shiro was laughing, looking back at the man he’d been talking to with a puzzled look. It was clear they weren’t taking Keith seriously. Didn’t they know the severity of this situation? They had to put a stop to it now, before someone got hurt, before Keith got roped into a lifetime of responsibilities he couldn’t physically handle.

“We need to close the gates!” Keith shouted, the nearby crowds falling into a hushed silence. He turned, eyes wide as he realized how many people were watching their exchange. He took a step backward, subconsciously moving closer to the castle. He waved his hand dramatically. “Coronation cancelled, you can go home now!”

“Keith!” Shiro yelled, and oh, that was an  _ angry _ Shiro yell. Keith started to turn away, ready to bolt to his room and never come out again, when a hand clamped down on his wrist. Cold, rough, inhuman. Keith froze, staring down at the prosthetic hand wrapped around his wrist. 

“Don’t  _ touch _ me!” He screamed, tearing his hand away so roughly his shirt fell to the ground. Shiro’s eyes widened, seeing the bloodied mess of his knuckles. Upon seeing that, Shiro took a much gentler approach. He held his hands up between them, slowly approaching Keith’s panting form.

“Listen to me.” Shiro whispered, crowding closer and trying to shield the conversation from all the prying eyes. Even as Shiro leaned close enough that their foreheads were close to touching, Keith couldn’t focus on him. He was too hyper aware of the hushed accusatory voices around them, the eyes eating them up, the expectations placed on his shoulders.

His mind blanked when Shiro’s hands both settled on either side of his face, trying to force him to pay attention. Keith’s eyes slowly trailed back to Shiro’s, but he felt like he was staring right through his brother instead of really looking at him. “It’s going to be okay. I know you’re panicking right now, but you’re getting ahead of yourself. Let’s just take this day one minute at a time, okay?”

“I can’t.” Keith whispered frantically, wringing his hands together overly painfully considering his new injuries. Keith grit his teeth, nails digging into his palms. “They’re looking at me like I’m some kind of god.”

“You don’t have to solve the entire kingdom’s problems in one day, you just need to be a figurehead for hope. Give them someone to believe in.”

“I’m not that someone, Shiro.” Keith managed weakly, aware of the way people were crowding in closer around them, trying to eavesdrop. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t even believe in  _ myself _ .”

“Arendelle needs a king.”

“I never volunteered.”

“Your Highness, it’s time for the ceremony.” Coran interrupted, cautiously looking between them. Keith continued to stare at Keith, eyes pleading. “All of our prestigious guests have gathered inside, the only thing we’re waiting on now is your presence.”

“Please.” Keith begged, hands trembling as he grabbed onto the sleeves of Shiro’s jacket. He was close to hysteric at this point, terrified of what he might do if he had to get up on the podium in front of so many people and take his gloves off. “Don’t make me do this.”

“No one is making you do anything.” Shiro assured him, hands trembling nervously on Keith’s face as he attempted to soothe him. “How about we just take a step back and talk this through, huh?”

“King Keith! King Keith! King Keith!” It started out with just one person chanting, likely hearing that the ceremony was about to start and getting excited. The chant quickly spread though, until hundreds of voices were shouting those same words. Keith felt himself tensing, folding in on himself.

“Keith, ignore them.” Shiro insisted, trying to keep him from running. “Focus on me.”

“Stop it!” Keith shouted, shoving Shiro away with all of his strength and stumbling backward. He barely caught himself before he hit the ground, eyes wide as they darted around the courtyard looking for an out. The crowds had closed around him, blocking off easy access to the stairs. “I’m not your king!”

“Then what are you?!” A random citizen shouted, voice sounding downright venomous. Keith looked down at his hands, one pristine and gloved in white, the other beaten bruised and bare. 

“I don’t… know.” Keith mouthed, turning back toward the stairs stubbornly. “I’m going back to my room. Call everything off.”

“You can’t keep doing this!” Shiro yelled after him, sounding exasperated. Keith looked back at him, ready to tell him off and take off. The words died in his throat though, eyes falling on the front of Shiro’s jacket where an icy handprint sparkled proud against a black backdrop. Keith’s thoughts immediately began to race, thoughts of when it’d happened (why did he push Shiro away?) and how to hide it from everyone now. Surely it’d melt fast with the summer sun bearing down on it?

Keith stared dazedly at Shiro’s chest, not even bothering to react when Shiro stepped closer and stared down at him intimidatingly. Keith couldn’t be bothered. He was too busy holding his breath, just waiting for the moment that someone noticed. They would call him out. Everyone would know. 

“This is no way to  _ live _ , Keith. You’re ruining your own life.” Shiro was on a full-blown rant now, only half of the words registering in Keith’s mind. What if he’d applied more force? If his emotions had been just a little bit more wayward? How badly would he have hurt Shiro this time? His powers had only been getting stronger as he aged, if he could take his brother’s arm at age seven what could he do now days after his eighteenth birthday?

Keith blinked away tears, age-old guilt eating away at him from the inside out. “I’m not saying you have to make a decision right now or do anything you don’t want to do, but you can’t keep doing what you’re doing now. You have to do something different. Our parents have been dead for damn near a decade, you need to move on someday!”

“You think that’s what this is? Mourning?” Keith managed, staring at Shiro in hurt disbelief. In reality, it was a perfectly reasonable conclusion for Shiro to reach given how little he’d actually had in terms of insight into Keith’s thoughts. It still hurt though, because Keith wasn’t mourning, Keith had never really had the chance to properly mourn the loss of his parents. He’d been too worried thinking about how he was going to handle his powers without them around, how he would keep himself in line without their guidance, who he would turn to if it got to be too much, if he hurt someone  _ again _ . 

After his parents died, he was too busy waiting for the other shoe to drop to focus on the loss. 

“I don’t know what this is! You never tell me anything!” Shiro shouted back at him, growing red in the face. It was unlike him to lose his composure, especially in front of so many people. Each time Keith would attempt to put space between them and back away, Shiro would move closer again. Long gone were the days of the Shiro who sat next to Keith and waited for him to make the first move, Keith had finally pushed him to his breaking point. 

Keith watched with wide fearful eyes as Shiro moved closer again, terrified that Shiro would try to hug him or hit him. It didn’t matter which one, his emotions were washing over him and breaking like heavy waves. It was out of his control right now. He couldn’t trust himself.

Shiro just kept coming though, desperate to bridge a gap years in the making. “I’m _ trying _ to help you!”

“It isn’t working!” Keith screamed back, running his hands over his face and then throwing them in either direction. He knew the mistake the moment he made it, felt the energy that’d been thrumming just under the surface of his skin suddenly dissipate all at once even before the magic resonated physically. Keith gasped, a horrified noise that shot right through him as he watched sharp ice sprout up between him and Shiro. It jutted out in threatening long points, mere inches from impaling Shiro’s stomach.

The air around them had grown colder, the ice in the courtyard fountain freezing over, if you squinted you’d even be able to see snowflakes falling just around Keith.

Keith held his breath, but not on purpose. He wasn’t sure that he could remember how to breathe. 

Everyone was staring at him, hundreds of eyes glued to them. 

Shiro’s expression was indecipherable, eyes flickering between the icicle right in front of him and Keith’s outstretched hands. One was still covered securely with a glove, the other was covered in injuries and now ice. Keith stared down at his palm too, entire body trembling.

“Keith.” The way Shiro said his name was so very gentle, cautious. Keith swore he could hear the fear there. The shock, the betrayal, the hurt. Keith was suddenly brought back to the very day he’d met Shiro, to when he’d been kneeling next to his near-lifeless body, filled with guilt. Shiro had said nothing then. He couldn’t have. And he never got the chance to because the memories were stolen from him before he could react to them.

But, Keith always imagined what he would have said, how he would have sounded. This must be that moment.

“Sorcery!” An outraged citizen screamed, pointing to the ice climbing out of the hot midsummer pavement. Keith cringed inwardly.

“The king is a witch!” Another yelled, causing Keith to tuck his hands deep into his jacket in shame.

“I’m sorry, Shiro.” Keith managed, rapidly shaking his head. He turned toward the crowds and inhaled deeply, preparing himself. “There is no helping me.”

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, darting into the crowd and holding his hands so tightly to his body that his fingernails stung even through his shirt. He ignored the disgusted grunts, the outraged cries, the onslaught of questions as he ran toward the castle gates.

“Where are you going?!”

“Will you be coming back?!”

“Your powers… are they dangerous?”

“Monster!”

“Is it a curse?”

“How come the late King and Queen didn’t _ warn _ us?”

“Honey, stay back.” Keith froze, those particular words ringing out so much louder than the rest. He turned ever so slowly to look at the woman. She was middle-aged, only a few feet away, and sheltering a young boy against her stomach. She glared at him protectively, ready to fight the witch herself if she had to to defend her son. “We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

It was true, she had no idea what Keith was capable of. No one ever did, at least not until it was too late.

“Stay away from me!” He cried out raggedly, darting through the gates and down the slippery incline of rocks to get away from the crowds on the main path. It led him straight down to the water, the smell of salt and sea permeating the air. Keith panicked, realizing he was stuck at the end of a peninsula with nowhere to go but back where he’d came from.

He turned around, panicking when he recognized that Shiro was following him out toward the edge of the land.

“Keith!” Shiro yelled pleadingly, clearly desperate to talk about this. Keith knew he should have given him that much. After everything he’d done to Shiro’s life, he deserved to talk it out at the very least. Keith couldn’t though, he really couldn’t stand to hear what Shiro thought of him now. Would knowing about his powers jog his memory? Would he know? 

Keith stumbled, back foot slipping into the water. Except, instead of being submerged in water, it flattened out against something solid and slippery. Keith looked down at his back foot, slowly sinking his ankle the rest of the way down to rest on the ice that’d formed over the salty water just below his foot. 

He did that. He was freezing the water as he walked on it. “Keith, come back here!”

Keith looked between the freezing over water and Shiro, then promptly made up his mind. He spun around and took off running across the water, ice forming beneath him just in time with each step. He ran across the water to the base of the mountains, setting his sights on the heights of the Northern mountain.

Not many travelers bothered to go that high, it was more risk than it was worth in terms of ice collecting or hunting. There wasn’t anything up there. That was precisely why it was where Keith wanted to be.

All that was standing in his way was an entire mountain that he was expected to navigate on foot.

As he stepped off the water, he looked behind himself to confirm he hadn’t been followed somehow. He paused when he noticed the ice wasn’t dissipating behind him, but rather… spreading. He looked back to the castle, eyes widening as he noticed the dark clouds filling the sky over it. The more he looked, the more the dark clouds seemed to be spreading everywhere.

He bit his lip nervously, before turning and starting up the mountain. If he was causing that brewing storm, then he had to get out of here quickly before he unintentionally worsened it.

Half an hour later and the storm had taken over the entire sky, making everything darker and colder. As he got higher up the mountain, he started to notice snow was falling heavier and heavier. He had to pray it was just the altitude and that snow wasn’t falling down on the kingdom below.

As more time passed and the storm worsened, his exhausted state made itself known again. It was making it difficult to walk in a straight line, much less deal with the insane mix of emotions he was going through. He stumbled along, yawning intermittently as his eyes would fall shut again.

It was during one of these near pass-outs that a tree branch snapped over his head and a bunch of snow collapsed over his head. The storm was raging around him now, heavy snow falling around him like it was the middle of winter and not at all summer, but that didn’t explain why the trees were so much more covered in the stuff than the ground was.

“Are you kidding me?!” Keith cursed vehemently, brushing the snow out of his hair and huffing all the while. He looked up, surveying a path that had the least snow on trees to worry about and following along that way with a smug smile. He’d beat the odds and make it to the top of this mountain unscathed, then he’d think about his next course of action. He was betting on hiding. That seemed like the best idea.

As the sun set, the storm continued to rage on. Keith’s sense of direction was quickly worsening and he was starting to get winded again, his exhausted state getting to the point that it was near impossible to ignore. He settled in the snow at the base of a tree, leaning his head back against it with a long sigh and wondering if this was really the safest place to be sleeping.

He woke up a few hours later, judging by the total darkness that’d enveloped the mountain. The snow was still falling around him, but he couldn’t tell exactly what it was that’d woken him up. He definitely still felt tired, his entire body protested movement as he started to brush the snow from where it’d gathered on top of him. 

A low growl sounded from the trees, sounding far closer than Keith was comfortable with. He scrambled to his feet, holding onto the tree with wide fearful eyes. He tried desperately to remember the best course of action when approached by a wolf, or a pack of wolves, but his mind was wiped blank with fear.

Keith could hear the nearby movement, the sound of an animal prowling near him. He trembled nervously and squeezed his eyes closed. He couldn’t see anything anyway, he was enveloped in total darkness aside from the occasional glint of moonlight through the trees. 

When he opened his eyes again, it was with a resigned sense of determination. He had to find shelter somewhere, he couldn’t just stand here like a sitting duck. He could hear the animals growing nearer, the distant howls of more coming to where he was. When he looked around to decide which direction to go, he even noticed the glint of canine eyes staring at him through the underbrush.

“Go away!” Keith screamed, turning and taking off running. It was only a few short seconds later that he remembered that running in the opposite direction like prey was the worst thing to do when dealing with a predator, but he couldn’t help it. He ran blindly ahead until he crashed into a snowdrift. 

Then he changed direction, running that way until he’d run into another snowdrift. 

Eventually, he ran into something more solid than a snowdrift. He rubbed his forehead where it’d bounced off the ice in front of him, confusion taking over his mind as he tried to make sense of the igloo he’d just run into in the middle of nowhere. The moon was providing just enough light to make out what it was, but he still couldn’t tell whether he’d been followed and was being watched from the dark forest around him.

Making up his mind, Keith scrambled around to the entrance of the igloo and ducked inside. He barricaded the door with some snow and hoped nothing would follow him in. He hoped the owner of the igloo wouldn’t come back anytime soon. He curled up against the wall, eyes glued to the door. He had no idea how he’d sleep at all tonight with the threat of being eaten alive so nearby.

Of course, as tired as he was, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him when one moment he was staring at the dark walls around him and the next he was waking up to early morning sun filtering in through the doorway. Keith sat up and looked around, wondering when he’d fallen asleep and how long he’d been out. 

He stared at the doorway, noticing with a fright that the snow he’d piled there had been shifted aside. Had the owner of the igloo come back while he was asleep? That was a scary thought.

He moved to the source of the light filtering in, poking his head out and looking around. The air was much clearer today, no sign of clouds or snow anywhere in the sky. He crawled out and stood up, almost immediately noticing the footprints in the snow outside. Someone else had  _ definitely  _ been there the night before, they were way bigger than his.

“Hello?” Keith called quietly, wrapping his jacket tighter around himself as the wind whipped at his clothes. He was high up on the mountain now, nearing the peak of it. When his call garnered no response, Keith sheepishly began to follow the footprints that left the igloo.

They seemed to know where they were headed at least, following a jagged path between steep rocks and caves. The walk was a long one, but eventually Keith walked out of a narrow cave and found himself stepping out onto a flat expanse near the peak. He looked around for any sign of life and almost immediately felt himself choke on air. “ _ Woah _ .” 

There was a castle standing in front of him, on top of a mountain of all places! That wasn’t even the strangest part! The entire castle was… made out of ice.

Keith laughed breathlessly, running his hand through his hair and rubbing at his eyes, wondering if this was a dream or a sleep-deprived hallucination. Yet it still stood in the same place when he pulled his hands back. Beautiful, elegant, detailed, it was unlike anything Keith had ever seen before. It put his own castle to shame. The tall spires and elegant detailing sketched into the ice, it must have taken years to build.

To see something so beautiful built out of the thing Keith had spent his entire life loathing, it was bittersweet. He had to meet whoever had built this, whoever lived in such a bizarre and lonely place.

He walked up the staircase leading to the front doors, hesitantly reaching toward the handles before they flew open in front of him. He gulped, looking around as he stepped into the amazing entry hall. He looked around, jaw hanging slack in awe as he studied the detailing on every inch of the walls and flooring. A chandelier made entirely of ice hung proudly above him.

This place was unreal. Keith couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Despite all of the beauty surrounding him though, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that someone was… watching him. He felt the heavy gaze crawling up the back of his neck, making his hair stand on end. He turned around, searching the corners of the room for any hiding occupants. When he didn’t see anyone, his paranoia only multiplied instead of calming. He could have  _ sworn _ someone was there with him.

“Hello?” Keith called out, hesitantly moving on to the next room. Each room was more beautiful than the last, filled with intricate carvings in the ice and beautifully sculpted ice furniture. Keith was caught somewhere between feelings completely out of place in the face of such beauty, and feeling completely at home in the cold and familiar atmosphere.

After heading up to the second floor, he stumbled across what seemed like the master bedroom of the place with ease. He sat down on the bed made of ice and fluffy light snow, confused by how comfortable it felt. He yawned tiredly, lying back and settling his head on the pillow. Maybe he could just nap here and wait for the owner to return? Surely they wouldn’t mind answering some of his many questions if he pulled the prince card on them?

Keith started to close his eyes, fully prepared to pass out. They flew back open in a split second though, almost certain he’d seen words scrawled out across the ceiling.

_ Is this love at frost sight? _

He barely caught a glimpse of it before it was vanishing, leaving him wondering if he was losing his mind all over again. But then there were _ more  _ words, written out letter by letter in fancy handwriting. Keith watched them appear in live-time, eyes wide as saucers.

_ Ice to see you survived the night. _

_ I really thought you were gonna frostbite the dust for a while there. _

_ Snow glad you could join me. _

“What the fuck?” Keith whispered frantically, sitting up and scrubbing his hands across his face. This was next level weird, the kind of weird that freaked even him out and he was an individual with magical ice powers. Was this a side effect of those powers? Had he gained the ability to communicate with the ice itself? 

Keith made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, panicking. “Is the ice talking to me now?!”

The response appeared almost immediately, like it was just waiting on the chance to continue the ongoing conversation.

_ Dude, chill out. _

“Stop with the puns!” Keith snapped, having no appreciation whatsoever for the poor humor when he was on the verge of a total freak-out. He hopped off the bed and began pacing, raking his fingers through his long hair. He turned back to the ceiling, huffing loudly. “Who are you?”

_ The name’s Lance, but you can call me any time. _

Keith stared at those words where they’d been carved out in the ice for an unnervingly long time. It took him an embarrassing amount of time to make sense of what he was looking at exactly and what it really meant. He’d never had anyone say anything remotely similar to that to him… no one dared to speak to a prince so casually.

“Is the ice  _ flirting  _ with me?” Keith muttered, feeling a little scandalized and a lot confused. This was a lot more drama than he’d expected to run into on a deserted mountaintop thousands of feet above civilization. 

_ I’m not ice. I’m a person, you just can’t see me. _

“Why not?” Keith asked dumbly, looking around the room again as if that’d solve the problem. He’d been right about not being alone in this castle, but this was definitely his first run-in with an invisible person in his lifetime. To tell you the truth, it felt an awful lot like one of those sleep-deprived daydreams he wounded up in after going far too long without sleep.

_ Dunno. No one can. _

_ It’s always been like this. _

Keith stared scrutinizingly at the newest set of words, wondering if he was imagining the way the temperature in the room dropped. It almost reminded him of the way his own emotions affected his powers. He got the very blatant feeling that this stranger wasn’t happy about the information he was currently sharing.

“Sounds lonely.” Keith pointed out, mostly because he wanted more answers and in order to get to that point the conversation had to continue. Besides, Keith happened to know a thing or two about living a lonely isolated life.

_ Very lonely. _

_ Usually when I try to communicate with people via ice-writing they freak out a little bit so this is nice. _

“Yeah? I’m, uh, used to the unusual.” Keith laughed, though he had to silently admit this was definitely one of the weirder things he’d experienced in his lifetime. Even his own magic and the trolls didn’t quite reach the same level of ice palace and invisible man. “Did you build this place?”

_ You bet. _

_ Wanna watch me build another room? _

Before Keith had a chance to answer, the balcony to the far side of the room was shifting into an icy spiral staircase. Keith walked over to it, watching as ice grew rapidly around him into tall walls. It looked to be the early stages of another tower for the castle. Keith gaped at the display, wondering if he’d ever be capable of such a feat even with his powers.

“It’s beautiful.” Keith explained quickly, but he was distracted. Now that he was thinking about his own powers again, he couldn’t help but recognize the familiar energy in the air while the tower seemingly built itself. It was that same feeling that enveloped Keith whenever he used his powers. It was the first time he’d ever run into a similar sensation in his entire life.

He closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of all that energy. 

“Ta-da! New tower!” A voice called out, pride and excitement beaming behind the words. Keith turned slowly in that direction, continuing to channel all of his concentration to the source of that magical energy. He cracked an eye open, pleasantly surprised to actually _ see  _ someone standing in the room with him.

It took Keith a second to get a good look at the other person, with the way they were eagerly bouncing around and celebrating, adding final touches and detailing to the tower. It seemed they were a little underwhelmed by Keith’s reaction though, because eventually wide blue eyes darted expectantly back to him. 

They stared at each other for a long moment, Keith’s eyes running over the stranger’s appearance in awed confusion. It looked to be a boy about his age, no older than late teens. He had piercing blue eyes and skin that looked tan underneath the frost-like glaze over his body, and he was wielding a long wooden walking cane. The most striking thing about this boy’s appearance had to be his hair though, stark white just like Keith’s own, no doubt a side-effect from their powers.

Before Keith’s mind could veer off into a hundred and one questions about how similar their powers were and if maybe, possibly he’d be capable of building something so extravagant out of ice… the other boy (Lance, he reminded himself) started to sheepishly sidestep away. Keith furrowed his eyebrows together, eyes following Lance as he moved around the room.

“What are you doing?” Keith asked finally, growing frustrated with the strange game of keepaway Lance was playing. Of course, the moment the words left his lips and Lance’s jaw dropped wide, Keith realized belatedly that that’d probably been the first time in a long time that anyone had looked directly at Lance. He had every right to be unnerved, he probably thought Keith was just coincidentally staring in his direction, looking right through him like everyone else.

“You’re kidding.” Lance whispered, frozen to the spot as he gaped at Keith. He opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish out of water, before his face darkened into a deep blush. He scrubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head back and forth. “You can _ see  _ me?”

“Yeah.” Keith answered simply, uncertain what else to say in such a bizarre situation.

Lance looked caught in the limbo between breaking out into song and breaking down into tears, the sheer amount of emotion displayed so plainly across his features overwhelming. Keith watched closely as Lance sniffled and laughed, going through so many stages of shock and disbelief it made Keith feel something akin to sympathy.

“This isn’t real.” Lance insisted, rubbing at his eyes to the point it looked almost painful. Keith stood there awkwardly, feeling more than a little bit out of place. This was a lot of pressure, if what Lance was saying was really true and this was his first direct human interaction in years. “You have no idea how long it’s been.”

“I-” Keith wasn’t even entirely sure what he was planning on saying, but he promptly snapped his mouth shut when Lance started to cross the room toward him. About halfway there and he spread his arms wide, laughing and running toward Keith like old friends eager for an embrace. Keith stepped backward hurriedly, flinching away from the incoming stranger. “What are you doing?”

“Hugging you!” Lance yelled breathlessly, sounding pretty damn determined to see that through even as Keith backed away with wary eyes. “You’re the first person I can see, the first person I can touch, the first person even on the same plane of existence as me in _ decades _ ! I’m never going to let you go.”

“I’m not really… a hug person.” Keith explained, thankful when Lance actually listened to him and stopped just in front of him, arms still stretched wide but not grabbing for him without permission. Keith heaved a sigh of relief, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He couldn’t help but feel bad though… Lance was looking at him so closely, so intently, a slight pout on his lips.

“Everyone is a hug person, you just haven’t had one of  _ my  _ hugs yet.” Lance mumbled, big blue eyes looking up from the floor and staring at Keith through his lashes. He had a very acute puppy-dog feel about him, overly-eager and excited, always feening for some attention. “Come on, please? Just one? It’s been  _ so long _ since I’ve had human touch.”

Keith _ almost  _ said no. It was his default answer by this point, he hadn’t allowed anyone to touch him in so long, why would he make an exception now? But the more he thought about it, the more reasons he came up with for why this was the perfect scenario for an exception. If this Lance guy was really like him, then there was no risk of Keith hurting him, right? 

Keith had never hated  _ touch _ , he’d just… hated the risk that came along with it. It’d never been something he saw as so necessary and crucial that he’d be willing to risk such high stakes. Only with his mother, but that’d been so many years ago, and only because she wouldn’t take no for an answer when she held and hugged him.

Keith frowned, feeling overexposed and vulnerable, but also so very curious.

“O-Okay, fine. I’ll humor you.” He huffed, slowly uncrossing his arms from his chest, staring warily at Lance from behind the curtain of his bangs. Lance lit up and bounded forward, but Keith flinched away last second. “Just a quick hug, alright? I’m  _ not  _ a hug person. After that you’re answering all of my questions about this place and your magic.”

“Sure!” Lance didn’t even hesitate, he clearly had no problem opening up about himself. If anything, he just looked excited to have someone to talk to at all. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, promise.”

Keith nodded, feeling resigned to his fate. He dropped his arms to his sides and took a deep breath, waiting expectantly. When Lance made no move to close the distance between them again, Keith realized he’d have to give a more obvious approval than that after backing out so many times.

“Get on with it then.” He grumbled, lifting his arms as if to invite Lance in. There was no hesitation after that. One second Keith was finishing speaking, and the next Lance was crashing into his chest, worming up as close as possible against his body. Keith felt his breath stutter, uncertain whether it was because of the force of the impact or the sensation.

It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, really, except for the fact that Keith was going into it with his expectations so low that it was almost funny how wrong he turned out to be. Even before he’d become a danger to everyone he loved, he’d never been one of those touchy-feely types. He accepted affection from his mother because he was meant to, that was just the relationship they had and how they expressed their feelings. She was a touchy-feely person. Keith wasn’t.

Or maybe, as Keith was realizing now, he  _ was  _ and he’d just never had any other relationships since where he could express as much. He’d never been given the opportunity to touch anyone else, to  _ hug _ someone else. Hell, poking Shiro’s shoulder the day before was the most he’d touched anyone in the better half of a decade. He wasn’t exactly at all experienced in this particular form of expression. How was he supposed to know if he liked it?

It felt achingly familiar and entirely new at the same time, the feeling of another person pulling him in and just holding him like he belonged there. Familiar because old memories of his mother that he’d all but forgotten were rushing to the surface, but new because it’d never been like this before. He’d always accepted affection from an arm’s distance, begrudgingly or worriedly, always assuming it just wasn’t his type of thing.

Whatever this was? It was most definitely his type of thing. It was personally crafted to suit Keith’s very needs.

Keith was instantly reduced into a gooey mess of a human being, relaxing into the warmth of Lance’s chest and exhaling what felt like decades worth of held breaths. For once in his life he wasn’t stressing over himself, over the gears turning in his head and how he was presenting himself to the world, he was focused on the person in his arms. Their warmth, the gentle huff of their breath in his hair, the feeling of their hands rubbing soothingly against his sides, the faint thud of a heartbeat through the clothing layers separating them.

Keith never wanted to move again. Had it not been for Lance pulling away first, he might not have.

“See? Not so bad, is it?” Lance laughed, moving to unravel his long arms from Keith’s frame. He’d only just barely put an inch or two between them before something seemed to crumble in Keith’s chest. In that moment, he naturally accounted it to his resolve breaking or the walls he’d spent so many years putting up falling down, but later on he would deny all of that vehemently and claim that he’d lost his sanity instead.

But, it didn’t matter, because for whatever reason he was grabbing onto Lance’s sweatshirt and yanking the other boy closer again with a frustrated  _ whine _ . And Lance, the utter bastard that he was already proving himself to be, just cooed and aww’d at him like he was some sort of needy baby. Keith wanted to hit him, figuring that’d also be a form of human touch and might be equally as satisfying as the hug, but then Lance was obediently holding him close again and all fight left Keith’s body in one brutal sweep.

He’d never felt so completely… domesticated. Lance could have asked anything of him in that moment and Keith would have dopily smiled and went along with it. 

The comfort was just so tangible, all of his anxious thoughts instantly put on pause and all of the nervous crawling along his skin chased away by the feeling. It was exactly the type of calm that Keith had been desperate to find all of his life. And it was so simple all along, yet so unattainable until this moment.

When Keith smashed his face down into the collar of Lance’s shirt, he felt the other boy tense against him. He could tell Lance was holding his breath, uncertain how to interpret that advance, and he really wanted to force himself to act casually so he wouldn’t scare Lance off already, but he couldn’t. He felt the embarrassing hot tears building in his eyes, his hands curling into fists at the dip of Lance’s back and shaking.

As he silently cried into Lance’s shirt, he sort-of accepted that he’d already ruined a good thing. He was too greedy, no one would want to hug him again after this strange indulgent reaction. Lance was at least kind enough to stand there and keep holding onto him, even as Keith’s shoulders shook with the force of his sobs and it became beyond obvious that his composure was shattered (along with his sanity, clearly).

“What’s your name?” Lance asked this question a long while later, after they’d stood in the middle of the room clinging to each other like idiots for who knows how long. At some point, Keith’s crying had subsided, but he was still too ashamed to lift his head from the damp spot on Lance’s sweater.

“Keith.” He mumbled against the fabric, sniffling quietly. Lance hummed intuitively, his hand drifting from Keith’s hip to his back, and then traveling steadily upward in a scratching motion. Keith wrinkled his nose in discomfort, having half a mind to tell Lance that he wasn’t a damn dog and he didn’t need to be  _ scratched _ ... but then Lance’s long fingers were working their way into his  _ hair _ and Keith was once again proven completely wrong. 

“You know, Keith, I think you like hugs more than you let on.” Lance replied, drawing the words out slowly, the hint of a tease present beneath the overlying caution. Keith bristled slightly, but he wasn’t exactly in any position to deny the accusation. So, he acknowledged it with a grumble and turned his head to press his clammy, tear-covered face against Lance’s bare neck instead. They both shivered in unison and for some bizarre reason, it had absolutely nothing to do with the  _ ice castle _ they were standing in.

Eventually, using every ounce of his self-control, Keith managed to pry himself off of Lance’s chest and even take a step backward to put space between them. He averted his eyes immediately though, not nearly strong enough to look a stranger in the eye after such a serious lapse of judgment. Lance was a stranger and Keith had just expressed more to him than anyone he’d ever known.

Even though he was very diligently avoiding Lance’s gaze, he could still feel it on him. It was heavy and insistent, probing in the way Lance was sizing him up and trying to get a read on him. It was also possible he was just trying to make sense out of whatever the hell Keith had just gone through while plastered to his chest, but Keith was already trying to forget that’d even happened.

Finally, Lance sighed loud and dramatic, and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “I also think you’ve got a not-so-secret death wish for trying to scale that mountain alone with no equipment.”

“You were with me on the mountain.” Keith realized aloud, wide eyes finally darting back to Lance’s blue ones. Lance stared steadily back at him, a smug look on his face. 

“Duh. You think you survived a night in the frozen wilderness on sheer willpower alone? I put snow drifts along every cliff so you would stop going so close to the edges. You think an igloo spawns in the middle of nowhere? No way, I made that.”

“Oh.” Keith whispered, processing the new information. He still wasn’t entirely sure that he could trust this strange boy, but if he’d already seen Keith at his most vulnerable and hadn’t tried to hurt him at a time like that… then maybe. If nothing else, it was something to distract Keith and pass the time as he decided what he was going to do next.

“Don’t even get me _ started _ on trying to take on a pack of wolves with snowballs alone.” Lance added, forming a few snowballs with a wave of his staff and throwing them with a flourish, making cheesy little air-swishing noises as they soared across the room. Keith watched the childish action with what he thought was a grimace, only to catch the beginnings of an amused snort slipping past his smiling lips. 

He quickly wiped his expression back to blank, wondering if his facial muscles were malfunctioning or something.

“Thank-you.” Keith said with utter seriousness, knowing better than to discredit someone’s loyalty and companionship. He’d never had many friends, nor many people standing in his corner and rooting for his survival. He had a lot of questions about this Lance character and his powers… but he didn’t seem like someone Keith had to be afraid of. And for once, it seemed Lance was someone who had no reason to be afraid of Keith.

“No need to thank me.” Lance responded easily, genuinely. Keith blinked, totally thrown off-guard by the sheepish way Lance was grinning at him now. Keith was so sure that the boy had been fishing for praise and compliments given the dramatic retelling, yet now he just seemed happy to have helped.

Lance bounced back into his personal space and Keith curled in on himself, mind at constant war with itself trying to decide whether he wanted more touch or to forget he’d had any at all. Lance threw an arm around his shoulders anyway, a sideways mockery of their earlier hug. “I already got something so much better out of it. It feels cheap to ask for thanks as well.”

\--

“Coran, I have to go after him.” Shiro insisted, rushing around his room and gathering his belongings into a heavy travel bag. The royal advisor stood on the sidelines, watching as Shiro worriedly raced around the room, frantic in the way he was rushing to get everything ready. 

It’d only been an hour since Keith had run off, but after spending their entire lives together in this castle, it made sense why Shiro was falling apart as much as he was. Not to mention, the secret had finally been exposed. Shiro knew about Keith’s powers now and it didn’t seem to be having any adverse effects to the magic the trolls had performed all those years ago to save his life. 

Coran bit his lip worriedly, watching the white of Shiro’s hair in case it started to spread again.

“Can’t you just fill-in in his stead? It’s clear that he doesn’t want to be here.” It was an incredibly flawed argument and Coran realized as much. As distant as he’d been since the Shiro incident, Coran had watched Keith grow up, he’d always been a close friend to the royal family… Krolia would have his head if she was still around and knew he was even suggesting leaving Keith on his own. 

The people weren’t too keen on the idea of accepting Shiro as a leader either. He’d spent the last hour out there working with the frantic crowds, trying to calm them before they took on a mob-like mentality and went after Keith themselves. Shiro was good with people, but these people were wary and skeptical of him by default. After all, all they knew of the second prince was that the day he’d been adopted had marked the day the castle’s gates closed for good.

“He didn’t want to be here because he was never here. He was never honest with us.” Shiro argued, throwing his bag over his shoulder and turning to the door. He paused when he noticed the way Coran was standing in it, blocking his path yet refusing to look at him. Shiro’s jaw unhinged, eyes widening in betrayal. “You  _ knew _ . Did everyone know but me?”

“I’m the only one still around, but we never discussed it.” Coran explained, sighing heavily. “I was just a witness, I was never a shoulder to lean on. The King told me to keep my distance, that talking about it would only make Keith focus on it more.”

“Our _ parents _ knew?” Shiro asked, his voice cracking. He looked down at his hands, furrowing his eyebrows deeply together. Why had everyone kept this from him? Didn’t they think he was capable of comforting Keith?

“I’m going to be his shoulder to lean on.” Shiro announced decisively, hands curling into fists. He looked up, chuckling at Coran’s apprehensive look. It was clear he had good intentions, but Shiro couldn’t even begin to express how terribly he was approaching all of this. Keith didn’t need to be held at an arm’s distance, that distance was what had caused this problem in the first place. 

Shiro shoved past Coran into the hallway, unsurprised when rushed footsteps followed behind him as he headed toward the nearest exit. “He’s my little brother, Coran. I’m not leaving him to run away when he has a perfectly good home right here.”

“He won’t change his mind, Shiro.” Coran said, taking a deep breath, “I don’t know if he’ll ever be leader material.”

“I don’t care about finding a leader.” Shiro grumbled, pausing as they passed a window. He looked out over the town, frowning at the swirling clouds above and the snow falling heavily across the land. The storm had started just after Keith had started up the mountain and the villagers had made the connection pretty early on that Keith’s powers had just stolen the summer from them. Shiro hoped it would melt away once Keith calmed down, but there were so many uncertainties he didn’t even know where to start. 

He looked toward the mountain, frown deepening.  “I only care about finding Keith.”

“Shiro, please.” Coran pleaded, settling a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Scaling a mountain is dangerous to begin with, but in this weather? You’d be a fool to travel right now.”

“He needs me.” Shiro stated plainly, hands gripping the window frame. It was clear now that Keith had needed him all along, but not at all in the way Shiro had tried to be there for him. In allowing Keith to shut him away, he’d only alienated the poor boy more. He should have tried harder. He should have been there for him all along. If he’d only known.

“If I really can’t change your mind, I guess all I can do is wish you luck.” Coran muttered, sounding defeated as he squeezed Shiro’s shoulder. “Bring him home, alright? Show him that he has a place to come back to.”

“I will.” Shiro promised, a thin smile stretching across his tired face.

Now, Shiro had never considered himself to be an impulsive person. He thought himself to be pretty well-rounded, down-to-Earth, a constant. Back at home, he doubted anyone would have argued against those claims. However, it was impossible to try and make that argument two hours later, when he found himself lost on a mountain in the middle of a raging storm and half frozen to death. The sun was setting, his clothes were soaked through, and he hadn’t seen anything that remotely resembled shelter for ages.

He was just about ready to turn around or sit down beneath a tree for the night and hope for the best, but a glimmer of light through the thin treeline had his hope restored. He traveled steadily toward the source of the light, spurred on by the thought of warming his feet back up to a temperature where he could feel them. 

He charged up to the building (Varkon’s Saunas) and knocked repeatedly, despite seeing the sign in the window stating plainly that they were closed. A few minutes later, a burly tall man answered the door and yawned loudly in his face. The stranger looked all-around unimpressed.

“Um, hello.” Shiro mumbled awkwardly, his teeth chattering together. “I’m wondering if I could come inside for a few minutes just to warm up?”

“You got cash?” The man asked bluntly, stepping closer to really drive home the fact that he was taller and more muscular. Shiro gulped, hands clambering over his hips to check each of his pockets for his wallet. With a painful wave of regret, he realized that he’d left it back at the castle in his rush to go after Keith. His face fell and the man snorted. “My saunas aren’t free. Good day, Sir.”

“But-” Shiro started to say, attempting to jam his foot in the door before it was too late. “I’m a prince!”

“Yeah right.” The man laughed loudly, shaking his head as he shoved Shiro out of the doorway. “Everyone knows the princes never leave their cushy little castle. Piss off.”

With a door slammed shut in his face, Shiro wasn’t left with many options. He turned to leave or maybe settle on the steps of the building for a few hours so he wouldn’t get hopelessly lost, when another building caught his eye. It was only a shed really, a small storage building adjacent to the main one. 

Shiro looked back toward the door and the windows, making sure he wasn’t being watched. Then he sprinted toward the shed, shoving the door open through the heavy drift of snow in front of it. He dived inside the darkened shed, shivering uncontrollably as he wrenched the door closed behind him. It wasn’t exactly “cushy” but it’d have to do.

He settled down on the floor, feeling around blindly until he came across something that felt like fabric. If he was being honest, it was probably for the best that he couldn’t see anything, or else he might be disgusted by the condition of the room. He laid his head down on the fabric, wrinkling his nose at the smell and then closed his eyes.

He was nearly asleep when the fabric started to shift beneath him and he was made instantly aware of the fact there was another living _ creature _ in the shed. 

Shiro yelped and flew backward, eyes wide as he attempted to see in the dark. He was squinting and straining his eyes so badly, he winced in pain when a flame was suddenly lighting up the room. He blinked rapidly, eyes watering as he registered the lantern someone had just lit.

Was he about to be kicked out?

When no one threw him out the door and his vision came back to him, Shiro tentatively peered back toward the lantern and the man beside it. One quick glimpse around the near-empty shed and Shiro realized there was no mysterious pile of fabric anywhere. He must have been laying on this stranger.

Shiro groaned, hiding his face in his hands. Not only was he about to get kicked out into the cold, he was also going to be charged for some manner of general creepiness and trespassing.

“Can I… help you?” The stranger asked him, sounding blatantly wary and annoyed. Shiro shrugged, starting to get to his feet. If he said something really eloquent right now, he might be able to salvage his reputation at least.

“Er, sorry, I was just-” Shiro cut himself off, resigned to his fate. He was too flustered and unused to casual human interaction to sort out something this messy. He turned to leave, but froze when he heard a quiet amused snort.

“Looking for shelter?” The stranger asked, sounding kinder now that Shiro had established himself as a blithering idiot. Shiro grimaced, but he nodded. “There’s room enough for two, get back in here before Varkon sees you. He doesn’t take kindly to squatters. I would know.”

Shiro turned around and slammed the door shut again, looking at the stranger in a new light. The guy was around his age, shaggy overgrown light brown hair, messy clothes, visibly scarred up and dirty. A realization dawned on Shiro, heart clenching in sympathy.

“Are you… homeless?” Shiro asked gently, settling into the hay beside the other man. He had funds back at the castle, perhaps he could help this poor soul get back on his feet. Shiro knew all about what it was like to live without a home to come back to, he wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.

The stranger squinted at him, before lying back in the hay and shaking his head.

“Nah, I have a place on the other side of the mountain, but I’m not stupid enough to travel in this weather.” The stranger explained, which didn’t really explain anything at all. Shiro stared at him. He certainly looked homeless, when was the last time he’d returned home for a shower and a change of clothes? “What about you? Lost? Looking for a yeti? Overly-determined hiker?”

“I’m looking for my brother.” Shiro answered, deciding that this stranger’s personal life was of no concern to him. Shiro settled into the hay, staring toward the flickering flame inside the lantern.

“You’re not going to find your own nose in this weather, let alone anything more than a foot away from you. Are you stupid?” The stranger laughed heartily, thoroughly amused by Shiro’s apparent stupidity on the subject. Shiro huffed, turning to stare toward the opposite wall. The opposite wall where wide, animal eyes were blinking back at him. “Well?”

“Is that a reindeer?” Shiro blurted, watching as the animal stepped further into the light and let out a quiet snort of a noise. The stranger’s tone softened immediately as he stood and walked over to the deer, patting it lightly between the antlers.

“Aw, shit, I forgot to introduce you.” The stranger, who Shiro was quickly deciding was a strange cryptid of a person, said. He turned to the deer, leaning down to place a kiss atop its head. “This is Rover.” 

“What is it that  _ you _ were doing out on this mountain?” Shiro asked skeptically, wondering what to make of the strange duo. 

“I’m an ice salesman.” The stranger answered easily, proudly. His smile faltered when Shiro’s eyes darted to the snow seeping in through the crack beneath the door. “Yeah, I know, business is booming with this freak storm. I heard the Prince caused it, magic or something. You believe that bullshit?”

“It was Keith, I was there.” Shiro explained openly, hunkering down into his pile of hay and preparing for a long, cold night. He hoped Keith was better off wherever he was right now.

“Oh, you’re on a first-name basis with the prince that hasn’t left his castle in over half a decade? You expect me to believe that?” The stranger huffed, shaking his head. “Sure, buddy, I think you got frostbite of the brain.”

“I should hope we’re on a first-name basis, he is my  _ brother  _ after all.” Shiro snapped, unintentionally cold and defensive. He couldn’t help it, he didn’t like hearing so many people talk poorly of them when they knew nothing about their situation. It was clear now that no one had enjoyed the gates being closed all this time. It wasn’t Keith’s decision. He hadn’t been allowed to make a decision for himself all of his life, he was so worried about controlling his powers.

Shiro frowned, thinking about how lonely Keith had been all of this time. He turned back to the stranger, jaw set as he decided to get straight to the point. He ignored the man’s blatant gaping and ogling, looking at Shiro with obvious awe now that he knew who he was. “I need your help getting to the north mountain peak, will you take me?”

“Uh, yes? Your Highness-ness? Sir?” 

“Call me Shiro, please.” Shiro sighed, the fight in him depleting. He didn’t want to challenge the villagers view of the royal family like that, by intimidating them and asserting their roles in the community like they’d never been gone. He wanted to work with all of the people of their kingdom, show them that their perception was wrong.

“Matt.” The stranger blurted, shoving his hand toward Shiro’s face. Shiro took it, shaking his hand gingerly. The man, Matt, pointed toward himself for good measure. He was clearly still awestruck to be talking to royalty. “I’m Matt.”

“I figured.” Shiro laughed, rolling his eyes as he settled back down to go to sleep. He made it all of a minute before a hand was reaching over and tentatively poking his arm.

“So… your brother is magic?”

“I guess so.” Shiro hummed, rolling over onto his side and facing away from Matt. “Can we go to sleep? I wanna set out as early as possible.”

“He’ll be okay. He’s probably enjoying being off the leash for a while. The public eye would get to anyone in his position, but hiding such a big part of himself…” Matt rambled tiredly, his words beginning to slur as sleep chased after him. Shiro’s eyes fell closed. He had no intentions of replying to Matt, yet the other man just kept on talking. “Anyway, if he has ice powers like I heard he does, then he’ll be fine.. Who knows, maybe he’s already made himself an awesome ice castle by now.”

That didn’t sound like Keith, but it was hard to say if Shiro really knew the real Keith at all. How much of what he knew was all an act to keep his powers buried deep, under control? Was Keith really that reserved and rule-abiding, or was he just doing what he had to?

Regardless of who he was, Shiro hoped that he was doing what he wanted for the first time in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some links to my social medias! I'm trying to be more interactive with my writing audience and take more requests etc, so feel free to stop by and just dump whatever junk your heart desires into my ask box. I'm a junk connoisseur. 
> 
> Also consider checking out the klance reverse bang, who knows, maybe you'll wanna join for next year! 
> 
> melancholymango.tumblr.com
> 
> https://twitter.com/MelancholyMango
> 
> https://klancereversebang.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe I actually updated when I said I would? Who is this person? Anyway here's the healthy dose of bonding moments you ordered!

Wrestling Lance into sitting still and shutting up long enough to ask him questions was a challenge in itself. It seemed that he was hell-bent on making up for every single second he’d missed out on being able to talk to other people. He had so much to say, so many opinions and anecdotes, so many terrible,  _ terrible _ jokes and puns. More than once, Keith considered walking out without even getting the answers he was after.

After about an hour of listening to Lance ramble about himself, Keith finally managed to coax him into sitting at the kitchen table made of ice. Keith sat next to him, ready to pounce if Lance tried to wander off again.

“So, how come I’m the only one who can see you? Are you a ghost?” Keith asked first, deciding to get straight to the point before he lost his chance to. It might not have been the most educated guess, but Keith didn’t exactly have much to go off of. Besides, the sheer bluntness of the question seemed to catch Lance’s attention fully.

“No.” Lance laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t magically develop powers when you become a ghost.”

“How would _ you  _ know? Have you ever met any ghosts?”

“Come here.” Lance sighed, completely ignoring the defensive growl in Keith’s tone. Scooting his chair closer, Keith settled his hand into Lance’s outstretched one, warily eyeing him all the while. Lance lifted their hands, pressing Keith’s palm to his neck, fingers digging into Lance’s pulse point. “See? Alive.”

“Can you die?” Keith asked curiously, allowing his hand to linger where it was. Lance’s heart was definitely still beating, but that only seemed to raise more questions.

“I don’t age, but I think if something were to rip my heart out I’d be in a pretty sticky situation.” Lance said it lightly, almost as a joke, but there was an underlying layer of uncertainty there that made Keith pause. Lance didn’t really seem to know anything more than Keith did about their respective powers and abilities. “Yeah, I am  _ pretty sure _ I still use the thing.”

“So… you’re a god?” Keith tried instead, just throwing out the first thing that came to mind. At this point it was becoming clear that he really should have spent more time thinking through what he wanted to ask and less time trying to get Lance to listen. He just had no idea how to even approach the topic when he had nothing to go off of. He was hoping Lance would just offer up information.

Lance started to smirk and Keith realized too late that his words could have been interpreted as something resembling a compliment. He groaned.

“Don’t flatter me.” Lance teased, but he didn’t sound nearly as energetic and playful as he had before this conversation. It seemed he liked talking about himself, except for when the topic was something he himself didn’t quite understand. “I don’t know what I am. All I know is that the moon chose me.”

“The moon?” Keith parroted, confused. “Do you think the moon chose  _ me _ ? Is that why I have powers?”

“Maybe?” Lance responded, but there was something in the way his voice cracked and his eyes widened that had Keith shuddering in realization. Up until that moment, Lance hadn’t known that they both had powers. He was probably going to ask _ Keith  _ questions now. 

True to his word though, Lance stayed focused on the questions Keith was asking just like he’d promised he would. “When I first woke up like this, I couldn’t remember anything about myself except for my own name. I was lost in the middle of a forest and I had this staff, it didn’t take me long to figure out that it worked as a transmitter for my powers or something. Anyway, eventually I found my way back to civilization and everyone just… looked right through me.”

“Did you get your memories back?”

“Yeah.” Lance answered, before frowning slightly. “Well, some of them. I know that I used to be alive in the normal way, like you. The moon didn’t tell me as much though, I stumbled across my human family in that first town. They couldn’t see me either. I stuck around them until all of my questions were answered, but by then they were aging and it was clear that I… wasn’t. So I left before I had to watch them go. After that, things have been coming back to me in little bits and pieces, flashbacks to another life.”

“I’m sorry.” Keith offered, genuine sympathy showing in his words.

“Don’t be.” Lance chuckled, humorlessly. “It was a long time ago.”

“Yeah, but it probably doesn’t feel like that long ago when you haven’t had any other interactions since to compare it to.” Keith said, well-aware of how close to home this conversation was starting to hit despite the obvious differences between them. Maybe they had more in common than their powers after all. 

“You make it sound so sad.” Lance sighed, running his hand hurriedly through his hair. He looked around the room, very obviously trying to find an out to the conversation. Keith had dodged unwanted topics enough times to know what that face meant. “I died young in a freak accident and the moon gave me a second life, for whatever reason. It’s a  _ gift _ .”

“A gift you didn’t ask for.” These words were particularly blunt, Keith realized as much. He just didn’t understand why Lance was trying so hard to stay upbeat and positive toward something that just… wasn’t. It wasn’t any of those things. Perhaps it was better than dwelling on it and feeling sorry for himself, but he wasn’t just looking on the bright side, he was refusing to address how much his circumstances upset him whatsoever. 

He wasn’t allowing himself to feel anymore than Keith was. 

They stared at each other for a long moment, Lance’s gaze serious and thoughtful. “I think the moon owes you a better explanation.”

“I think you’re too focused on the negatives.” He quipped right back, solemn gaze falling away into something akin to a smirk. He was quick to cover up the moment his own emotions started to get involved. “Imagine how miserable I’d be if I had that outlook on life all this time.”

“Are you trying to say you aren’t miser-” Keith didn’t get very far before Lance was quite literally throwing a snowball into his face. Keith spluttered, gaping open-mouthed at the boy across the table from him.

“No, don’t argue with me. You can’t argue when it’s clear _ you’re _ miserable.” Lance dismissed, clearly not open to the conversation in the slightest. He rose to his feet and began to pace, gesturing with his hands wildly. “You’ve barely smiled  _ once _ since you walked in here. You have no room to talk.”

“Yeah, well, at least when I do smile it won’t be fake.” Keith huffed.

“You said you have powers too? Ice ones?” Lance asked, voice far too urgent for such a question. A desperate plea to just let the topic go. Keith continued to glare at him and Lance’s smile stretched thinner. “What can you do with them? Can you build things like this castle?”

“I don’t know,” a pause, Keith’s tongue caught between his teeth as he debated how much he wanted to admit to this stranger, “I’ve never tried.”

“What do you mean?” Lance laughed, disbelief drawing his eyebrows tightly together. “That’s the first thing I tried.”

“I haven’t tried  _ anything _ .” Keith explained, hands curled into fists in his lap. “It’s too dangerous, I nearly killed someone once and I’ll never take that risk again.”

“Valid,  _ but _ …” Lance drawled dramatically, leaning over the back of Keith’s chair to whisper directly into his ear. Keith stiffened, pulling a face as Lance’s breath washed over his neck. “we’re miles away from civilization and your powers won’t hurt me. There’s no risk right now.”

“It’s the principle of it.” Keith snapped, swatting at Lance’s face until the other boy backed off. His face felt unbearably hot and he could only imagine the incriminating blush creeping across his cheeks. He glared toward the floor, hoping to hide it behind his hair. “I don’t want to embrace something that hurts people.”

“It helps people too.” Lance countered, always one damned step ahead of Keith. “I saved your life with my powers just last night.”

“You’ve had a lot longer to practice.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere.” It was like Lance knew exactly what to say to stomp every one of Keith’s arguments into the ground. It was both infuriating and impressive, how easily Lance bounced back no matter what was thrown at him. Keith looked up through his lashes, to where Lance was leaning over the table toward him. His big blue eyes were pleading. “ _ Come on _ , let’s build a room together.”

“ _ A room _ ?” 

“Start smaller?” Lance chuckled, brushing his hair back from his forehead. Keith stared blankly back at him, arms crossed over his chest, lips pressed into a tight line. He hadn’t decided yet if he was going to entertain the ramblings of this fool or not. “Erm, how about a snowman?”

Keith bit the inside of his cheek, debating if there was any possible risk behind such a small task. He hadn’t used his powers on purpose in years, aside from freezing the lake to cross it. Still, they were so high up in the mountains, it was unlikely things could go wrong. And he was curious, as much as he cursed himself for it.

“Fine.” Keith relented, unfolding his arms. Lance clapped his hands together excitedly, grabbing Keith’s wrist and dragging him toward the looming front doors. Keith debated telling Lance to get his hands off of him, but decided that it wasn’t worth the annoyance of arguing with the other boy. He didn’t hate it as much as he thought he would anyway, it was just weird and foreign to him.

They ended up kneeling in the snow on Lance’s supposed front yard, both facing each other. Between them, the snow was beginning to swirl, lifted by Lance’s magic as he expertly angled his magical staff toward the spot. Keith reached down and pulled off his remaining glove, taking a deep breath.

Lance finished making the large base of the snowman, then promptly looked toward Keith. Keith lifted his hands slowly, embarrassed as soon as he noticed the way they were shaking. If Lance noticed, he had the decency not to call it out.

Keith closed his eyes, trying to channel all of his concentration into his magic. He focused on moving it down the length of his arms, out to the tips of his fingers, and then somewhere further. He cracked an eye open, relieved to see the snow before him was actually flying up into the air. It twirled around in a tiny hurricane of sorts, messy and clumsy compared to Lance’s obvious prowess, but it was  _ something. _

He made the middle of the snowman, lumpy and uneven, but generally round and passable for what it was meant to be. He didn’t have the strength in his powers to lift it into place once it was formed, so he lifted it with his hands like any normal person would. He shoved it into place and took a step back, admiring his work.

“See? How can something inherently bad make something that brings so much joy to people?” Lance spoke softly, smiling up at Keith from where he stayed sitting in the snow. “Your powers aren’t good or bad, it’s how you choose to use them.”

“I don’t know how to control it, the choice isn’t my own.” Keith shut him down quickly, turning on his heel with intentions of marching back into the castle. He didn’t get very far before Lance was bouncing effortlessly in front of him, like the wind had carried him there.

“I’ll teach you!” Lance shouted eagerly, stepping closer and grabbing Keith’s hands in his own. Keith froze, staring down at their connected hands.

“I’ve been focused on controlling this all of my life and I’ve made no progress.”

“No, you’ve been focused on bottling it up and ignoring it.” Lance argued gently, leading Keith back toward their incomplete snowman. Keith followed his lead, watching as he raised their interlocked fingers toward the snowman. Keith felt it when Lance started to use his powers, what with their palms pressed together, it would have been impossible not to. 

He didn’t join in, just watched and felt it as Lance sculpted the head for their snowman. It was a dramatic and perfectly chiseled face mirroring Keith’s own. “That’s not learning, that’s shutting off any chance to.”

“You really think I can control it?” Keith asked quietly, biting his lip. “I just want to be able to touch other people without freezing them, I don’t care about fancy castles or snowmen.”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” Lance insisted, dropping their hands so he could step closer and manually add the finishing touches to his snowman. Keith watched him closely, an odd sense of reckless hopefulness taking root in his chest. This was the closest he’d ever gotten to maybe learning about what he was and how to control it.

Lance spun around suddenly, tackling Keith into the snow without any warning. Before Keith could attempt to right himself and start fighting back, Lance was laughing and pinning his wrists down into the snow above his head. 

“What was that for?”

“You were thinking too much again.” Lance answered simply, eyes darting off to the distance. “I bet I can make a better snow-Keith than you can make a snow-Lance!”

“You’re ridiculous.” Keith breathed under his breath, lips twitching up into a smile as Lance rolled off of him and immediately set to work. It was obvious even before they’d started who would win, but just this once Keith decided to play along.

Later that day, Keith found himself begrudgingly following along behind Lance as they climbed to the very peak of the mountain. More than once, Keith would lose his footing only for Lance to catch up with a drift of snow, making sure he didn’t slip too far down. Lance chatted the entire way there, but Keith found himself paying attention this time.

He was almost disappointed when Lance abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence, gesturing widely to the top of the mountain they’d just reached. He turned back to Keith, smiling.

“Here we are,” Lance flourished the words with a dramatic flare that had Keith rolling his eyes, “the top of the mountain. We can start lesson number two now.”

“I didn’t learn anything from the first one!” Keith complained loudly, hands landing on his hips. Lance turned to argue, but Keith beat him to the punch. “Well… I _ did _ learn that you think you have a way more sculpted face than you actually do. Is your reflection invisible too?”

Lance gaped at him, self-consciously running his hand over his jawline in question.

“First of all, ouch.” Lance huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting like a child. “Second of all, please don’t discredit your teacher, I put a lot of thought into organizing this curriculum for you.”

“Alright, what did you have in mind?” Keith relented, unable to cope with the sad look on Lance’s face for any longer. The other boy lit up then, always so quick to bounce back from his negative emotions. Keith didn’t really understand it, but he was undoubtedly coming to admire and rely on it.

“Sledding.” Lance told him proudly, gesturing to the slope in front of them. Keith peered down the mountain, choking on his own saliva.

“ _ Sledding _ ?”

“Down an entire mountain.” Lance clarified, as if that pure insanity hadn’t been clear already. Keith turned to him with disbelief written all over his features.

“Are you sure you’re mentally stable after being alone this long?” Keith asked, furrowing his eyebrows together. Lance shrugged his shoulders, leaning on his staff for support. “Lance, I thought you told me you could die.”

“I can.” Lance huffed, drawing shapes in the snow. “I’m pretty sure I can anyway, haven’t  _ tried _ it yet. I’m kinda scared to? That’s the thing about life, no matter how much you have you always feel like you need more time. I haven’t reached a point yet where I’m just ready to give it up.”

“You’re scared of dying and you want to sled down a mountain this tall?” Keith questioned, unsure whether he should laugh or back away slowly in fear. For as many things as they had in common, there were definitely some things he absolutely didn’t understand about Lance.

“Absolutely.” Lance grinned ear-to-ear, looking not at all bothered by the idea. “This has nothing to do with dying, this is  _ living _ .”

“This is insanity.” Keith corrected in a deadpan, huffing loudly. Lance was ignoring him though, carefully constructing the perfect ice sled. As far as sleds went, it looked pretty safe, but Keith still wasn’t sure about all of this.

But then Lance turned to him, the softest pleading look in his eyes, his white hair falling in his face and cheeks flushed from the cold. Keith felt himself crumbling like the gay disaster he surely was.

“You in or not?”

“It’ll take us forever to get back up, assuming we survive.” Keith grumbled, but he was already ambling toward the stupid sled. Lance grinned, plopping down and patting the space between his legs. Keith settled there, his heart racing.

“The wind will carry us back up.” Lance told him, leaning in close and resting his chin on Keith’s shoulder, laughing airily in his ear. Keith could feel the sled inching closer to the edge, bound to tip over any second now. He felt panic rising in his chest despite knowing Lance had probably done this a million times before, would probably use his powers to save them if need be.

Then they tipped over the edge of the mountain and immediately the panic took over Keith’s mind like a plague.

“Ah! I changed my mind!” Keith screamed like a baby, hands scrambling over Lance’s thighs and nails digging in to hold on. Lance laughed wickedly into his hair now, bubbly and upbeat even in the face of his oncoming demise. “I don’t wanna die!”

“That’s the spirit!” Lance laughed, hugging Keith around the middle. If Keith hadn’t already been so focused on the predetermined death coming his way, he might have dwelled on the way he felt his heart stop as Lance cuddled him close like that. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think straight. It’d been so long since he’d been _ held _ .

The wind whipped at their clothes and hair, nipping at any exposed skin. Somewhere in between the rush of fear and warmth of Lance pressed to his back, Keith managed to tune back into the moment and really register what was happening. They were about halfway down the mountain and it felt like they were flying, soaring through the snow so much faster than Keith had ever traveled on a horse.

He laughed a little breathlessly, then broke out into full-on hysterical giggles just like Lance behind him.

Eventually, after many near-death experiences and unbelievable feats thanks to the help of Lance’s powers easing them down the slope, they slid to a stop at the bottom of the hill. They flew out of the sled together, thankfully landing in a fluffy snow drift supplied by Lance. 

They tumbled out of the drift until they were lying side-by-side in the snow, wheezing to stop laughing and catch their breaths.

“You are the worst person I’ve ever met.” Keith concluded finally, staring up at the blue sky above them.

“Yeah? And you are…” Lance grumbled, a complaint no doubt on the tip of his tongue. When he trailed off and didn’t offer anything remotely insulting, Keith found himself feeling confused. He sat up, turning to face Lance and freezing when he found blue eyes already glued to him. Lance reached out, pressing his fingertips to the dimple in Keith’s cheek, looking utterly awed. “You are  _ smiling _ .”

“What?” Keith blinked, trying and failing to wipe his expression blank. He silently cursed himself, a laugh spilling past his lips despite his plight. He couldn’t help it, that was the most fun he’d had in years, possibly the most fun he’d ever had. He wasn’t about to admit that, though. “No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Lance argued, flashing a dazzling smile right back at Keith. “Lesson success.”

“I didn’t  _ learn  _ anything from that, I-” Keith started to protest, but he didn’t get the chance to finish before Lance’s hand was trailing across his lips to silence him. Lance cupped his face, thumb smoothing over his blushing cheeks.

“Agree to disagree.” Lance concluded, getting to his feet and turning away. He looked back at Keith over his shoulder, no doubt smug about the dazed look still printed across Keith’s face. “Wanna go again?”

“You already know I do.” Keith sighed, not even bothering to try and deny it.

They spent the rest of the daylight sliding down that damned mountain, laughing and screaming until they lost their voices. Sometimes, Keith would sit cradled between Lance’s legs, hugged to the other boy’s chest and listening to his laughter in his ear. Other times, Keith would settle behind Lance and flatten himself against the other boy’s back, relishing in all the closeness. 

When nightfall came, Keith was almost reluctant to head back to the ice castle with Lance. 

His disappointment didn’t last long though, as he was quickly reminded that Lance found a way to make literally everything fun. They had a snowball fight of epic proportions all the way back to the castle, ducking behind trees for shelter and racing to get back to the safety of shelter first. Then they ate a meal together, competing to see who could eat the most the quickest. Then Lance sat down with Keith in front of a warm fire, telling him stories of the life he’d lived before this one, so many years ago.

Keith listened with rapt fascination, subtly shifting closer to Lance as the minutes trailed into hours. 

When he fell asleep with his head against Lance’s shoulder, Lance finally gave up on telling stories and pried Keith off of him. Keith fell right back asleep where he sat next to the fire, so Lance draped a blanket over him and headed upstairs on his own.

He came back fifteen minutes later, shaking Keith awake.

“Hey, I made a room for you. Come and see it.” Lance whispered, brushing Keith’s hair out of his face and grinning down at him. Keith grumbled and complained the entire way there, but he allowed Lance to lead his sleepy self up the stairs and into the room beside Lance’s. 

He stood in the doorway with a blanket draped around his shoulders, watching as Lance proudly pranced into the room and spun around in circles. “What do you think?”

Keith looked around the room. It was beautiful, arguably even nicer than the royal quarters he’d had back at his own castle given the delicate details Lance put into the architecture. There was art on the walls and engravings in the furniture, everything was beautifully personalized.

Yet. Keith’s gaze landed on the bed and stayed there, a feeling of disappointment taking root in his chest at the thought of sleeping there alone. He’d been so comfortable slumped against Lance in front of the fireplace. It was unlike anything he’d ever had before, falling asleep in the comfort of someone else’s presence.

Keith thought back to his life at the castle, always feeling locked away in his own space, away from the rest of the world. He hated the idea of going back to that now.

“It’s nice.”

“Thank-you.” Lance grinned, giving a swooping dramatic bow. He straightened back up then, heading toward the door. “It’s pretty late, I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Keith agreed, watching distantly as Lance tried to move past him to leave the room. Almost as if on its own accord, Keith’s hand darted out to grab Lance’s before he could go. “Lance?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think you could add a door to my room so it’s connected to yours?” Keith asked, his face aflame in embarrassment. “And maybe don’t have a door, it’d look better without one.”

“So what? You want to live in an over-glorified closet off of my room?” Lance asked, looking completely and utterly confused. That was probably fair, all things considered. He couldn’t possibly know why Keith would wish for those things, or how much it meant to him. 

“Forget I asked.” Keith grumbled, dropping his hand and marching over to the bed. He climbed into it, pulling the covers over his head. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Lance settled on the edge of his bed moments later. 

“Keith.” Lance said softly, patting Keith’s back over the blanket. “That wasn’t a  _ no _ . I’m just curious why you want something like that. You seem like someone who would really value privacy.”

“I do!” Keith shouted angrily beneath the covers, frustrated with himself for becoming so dependent on Lance so easily. He’d lasted just fine on his own his entire life, but now he couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping all alone in a room by himself? Pathetic. 

He sighed, correcting himself now. “I  _ did _ .”

“What? You’re that obsessed with me? You want me all up in your personal space all the time?” Lance pried, but his voice was light and teasing, beneath it a layer of kindness shining through. It was clear that he wanted to know what was wrong so he could help fix it, not ridicule Keith over it.

It was for that reason and that reason only that Keith reluctantly tried to explain himself.

“No.” Keith growled, scrubbing his hands over his burning face. “It’s just there’s a difference between personal space that you decide for yourself and personal space that someone else decides for you. I don’t… like being shut away in a room by someone else. It feels less like setting my own boundaries and more like being kept prisoner.”

“Oh geez, I’m so sorry!” Lance blurted suddenly, guilt tracing the words. “I really wasn’t trying to do anything like that, you can leave at any time.”

“I know.” Keith answered easily, sitting up and allowing the blankets to pool in his lap. He turned to Lance, trying to express that he wasn’t angry or upset with him. He didn’t blame Lance for any of this, he’d been a wonderful host and friend so far. Keith just couldn’t let his past go that easily. “I don’t want to leave, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“O-Okay?” Lance stuttered uncertainly, running a hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of the situation. Keith offered an apologetic shrug and Lance grinned back at him, confidence slowly coming back to him. “You’re a little weird, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’m aware.” Keith grumbled, determinedly not meeting Lance’s gaze.

“Well, uh… I can make a door if you want.” Lance offered, scratching at the back of his neck. Keith let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, feeling relief so strong it caused his shoulders to sag. He was suddenly reminded of how exhausted he was now that he wasn’t so tense.

“I’d like that.” Keith said, turning to Lance and offering up his first intentional smile. It felt a little wobbly and awkward after spending the past decade scowling all the time, but Lance seemed fond of it all the same. He stared at Keith for a long moment, before shaking himself out of his stupor and continuing.

“Or…”

“Or?”

“Do you maybe wanna just... share a bed?” Lance suggested it so fast all of the words seemed to blur together. Keith blinked dumbly.

“ _ What _ ?” Keith asked ever-so-slowly, uncertain if he’d even heard things correctly. He hadn’t even entertained the idea himself, but now that it was in his mind it was impossible to rid himself of it. It’d be just like cuddling up with Lance in front of the fireplace, except they could be even closer, underneath the covers.

“Nevermind!” Lance squawked, hands flying through the air in a messy gesture. Keith found himself feeling smug, finally seeing Lance be the one to lose his composure and get all flustered. “I’ll get started on the door right aw-”

“I liked the idea, Lance.” Keith said, his voice shy. “As long as it’s okay with you.”

“It is.” Lance agreed hurriedly, clambering out of Keith’s bed and holding out his hand. Keith stared at it for a moment before grabbing it, clutching his blanket in the other and allowing Lance to lead the way back to his own bedroom.

Lance let go of his hand then, gesturing to the bed. Keith took the hint and climbed into one side of it, eyes peeking out from above the covers just to watch as Lance climbed in next to him. There was still a good amount of space left between them, their bodies not touching in the slightest, but Keith figured that was to be expected.

He settled as best he could, already looking forward to tomorrow when they might work up the confidence to actually cuddle. He cursed himself for how much that idea appealed to him.

Keith was lying there mostly asleep when he felt Lance’s foot brush up against his own. Suddenly wide awake, he purposely slid his foot back into Lance’s space and allowed it to brush against Lance’s ankle. It was meant to be discreet, just in case Lance hadn’t actually meant anything by his touch.

So, needless to say, Keith let out a pitiful yelp of surprise when Lance abruptly rolled over to face him directly with wide, alert eyes. For a while there, Keith had assumed he was asleep.

“What?” Keith whispered, eyes flitting across Lance’s smiling face in confusion. Lance slid closer then, hesitantly grabbing Keith’s hand where it rested between them on the pillow. He wove their fingers together, squeezing Keith’s hand in his own. “Is this good?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Keith concluded, not giving himself the chance to think twice before scooting even closer and tangling his legs up with Lance’s. He shifted closer, bringing their hands down between them so he could rest his head on Lance’s chest. 

He sighed contently. “This is better, though.”

“Hey, Keith?”

“Yeah?” Keith yawned, sleepily nuzzling into the crook of Lance’s neck.

“Remember when you told me you weren’t a hug person? I’m not calling you a _ liar _ , per se, but the evidence speaks for itself. Don’t you think?” 

“Shut-up.” Keith hit him.

The next morning came and brought with it a new emotion that Keith immediately decided he hated. He woke up and immediately noticed the loss of another person’s warmth and comfort surrounding him. It didn’t take him too long to realize that Lance had left before he’d even awoken, and the disappointment that set in after that realization was immense. He’d always been the person pushing people away, it was so different to have them push you away.

He sat there alone in the middle of the bed for what must have been half an hour, chin resting on his knees as he hugged them to his chest. He wondered dismally if Lance would even be coming back, or if he’d messed up so badly he didn’t want anything to do with Keith anymore.

An hour after he’d woken up, Keith heard the doors swing open downstairs. He shifted to the edge of the mattress, wrapping the blanket tighter around his shoulders as he stared hopefully toward the bedroom door. Sure enough, Lance came bustling in through that next, a wide smile on his face when he saw Keith was already up.

“Honey, I’m home!” Lance announced dramatically, bounding over and collapsing back into the bed with zero grace. Keith stared down at him, trying to ignore the telltale upward twitch of his lips. He didn’t want to smile at Lance’s antics right now, he’d been upset all morning and he was going to cling to that until he got an explanation.

“Where were you?” Keith asked, his tone distant. Lance rolled over, staring up at him in confusion.

“Scouting out a place to hold lesson number three.” Lance informed him, sitting up next to Keith. He took Keith’s hand in his own, rubbing it between his hands to warm it up. Nevermind that the cold didn’t particularly bother Keith, he was realizing he was quite fond of the warmth anyway. “You’re gonna like this one, trust me.”

“Are we going now?” Keith asked, unable to keep the hopeful excitement from leaching into his words. 

“Let’s get something to eat first.” Lance suggested, helping Keith to his feet and leading the way down to the kitchen for breakfast. Keith followed after him, trying not to cling too closely but unable to deny that he was relieved to have Lance back. They sat side-by-side as they ate, sides squashed together they insisted on being so close.

They were nearly done their sandwiches when Lance cleared his throat, setting the rest of his down on the plate. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“What?” Keith asked, eyeing Lance out of the corner of his vision. Lance had been suspiciously quiet throughout the meal, like he was thinking about something. For a long moment, Keith had to wonder if Lance somehow knew about his past and where he came from, if he’d found out that Keith was the prince and rightful ruler of the people below.

Lance turned to Keith then, his expression unreadable.

“Why’d you freeze everything down at the bottom of the mountain?” 

“What?” Keith asked, his voice cracking in shock. He thought back to the snow that’d fallen when he freaked out, to the ice that’d frozen over all the water he’d walked on. It was the middle of summer though, surely all of that had melted by now?

“The entire kingdom looks like a winter storm from hell hit the place. The castle is covered in snow, the trees and crops are frozen and dying, even the fjord is frozen over. It looks like the heaviest winter in decades has hit Arendelle, but… the calendars all say summer. There shouldn’t even  _ be _ snow yet, so I just assumed you had something to do with it.” Lance explained, voice getting quieter as he seemed to realize how much this was stressing Keith out.

He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. “I’m not even sure I could do something like that, you know? My castle is beautiful, but I have to respect the seasons and the natural order of things. I could only build this because it’s at the peak of a mountain where there’s always snow on the ground.”

“Shiro.” Keith whispered, scrambling away from the table and beginning to pace back and forth. He ran his hands through his hair, tugging forcefully at the strands. Thoughts were running through his mind at a mile a minute and he could hardly breathe, overwhelmed by everything Lance had just told him.

He sat down in the middle of the floor, curling in on himself. “I ruined everything. I ruined the seasons. I ruined the kingdom. I ruined the world!”

Keith tensed when he felt a weight settle behind him, wrapping his trembling form up in a hug.

“Hey now, don’t get too cocky.” Lance laughed, smoothing his hand through Keith’s messy nest of long hair. Keith took a deep breath, trying to relax back into the touch. “It’s just this kingdom, the rest of the world is fine. I would know, I had to go to the next kingdoms over to gather this food.”

“Is it melting at all?” Keith asked, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Do you  _ want  _ it to melt?” “Slow down, hey, talk to me. What happened?” 

“I couldn’t control it.” “My powers are attached to my emotions and when everyone found out about what I could do… I was so overwhelmed. I lashed out and sent the kingdom into eternal winter. I don’t know how to take it back. I’ve ruined everyone’s lives.” 

“It’s okay, calm down. We’ll figure it out together.” Lance repeated the words over and over again with growing urgency, noticing the way the ice around them had began to pulse a deep red color. He didn’t know much about Keith’s magic, but he could only assume that wasn’t something good or intentional, something brought on by his strong negative emotions. “Don’t freak out on me again, who knows what miracle you’d perform this time.”

“I don’t know how to fix it.” Keith mumbled frantically, turning to face Lance. “Can you fix it?”

“I told you, I can only work with what’s already there.” Lance explained gently, cupping Keith’s face between his hands and trying to make the other boy calm down. “If I make snow during summer, it melts. I could add more snow to your current snow, but I can’t take it away. The seasons bind me, but they don’t bind you. If you can take away summer, you can bring it back.”

“You don’t  _ know _ that.”

“I do.” Lance insisted, leaning their foreheads together. “If the moon truly gave you your powers too, then it would have given you a failsafe in case something like this happened. The moon is a guardian of the Earth, it wouldn’t give you the power to destroy and not give you the power to create.”

“What if the moon didn’t gift me my powers?” Keith grumbled angrily, but the panic was slowly leaving him, replaced by a forlorn sense of acceptance. Lance was no-more happy with that, but at least the immediate threat of Keith accidentally blowing up the castle was leaving. “What if someone cursed me?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Lance insisted, leaning back and smiling widely at Keith. “In the meantime, we can’t let mass-panic get in the way of our lessons.”

“Are you serious?” Keith growled, anger flashing across his features. He scrambled away from Lance, getting to his feet so he could glare down at the other boy. “The people are freezing and starving in the kingdom below and you want to keep playing in the snow? What are you, a child?”

“Well, you’re not gonna fix _ anything _ with the attitude you have right now.” Lance countered, eyes flashing with anger. Keith rose to the challenge, glaring right back at him. He’d never been allowed to be outright angry with someone in his life, it was too risky. Now though, now he could feel it boiling over.

“What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean?!”

“Keith, I don’t want to fight with you.” Lance sighed, shoulders slumping. When Keith didn’t relax at all after hearing that, Lance grew quickly frustrated. “You just look at everything with so much negativity, you need to embrace your powers and yourself to fix this. You’re setting yourself up for disaster!”

“At least I’m not so recklessly optimistic and naive that I’m willing to hurt people just so I can have fun!”

“I’m trying to help!” Lance yelled back, jumping to his feet. He threw his hands up in a wildly exasperated gesture, stomping toward the door. “It’s not like I can go out there and fix any of this, I just told you I can’t! What more do you want from me?! It shouldn’t be my job to fix your mistakes anyway!”

Keith watched him go, anger at himself and everything else clouding his thoughts. It wasn’t until the doors slammed shut and Keith was left standing there all alone, in the middle of an empty castle, that he realized his mistake. He sunk back down to the floor, glaring at his reflection in the shining ice flooring.

He was such an idiot for pushing Lance away, he’d only been trying to help.

Keith spent the next twenty minutes sitting there and sulking, but eventually he managed to pry himself off the floor and head out in search of Lance. He fumbled around blindly for a long while, but eventually he found a little cavern in the mountain and headed inside. Sure enough, the center of the mountain opened up into a large cave.

The middle of the cave was simply a frozen-over pond of sorts, but all around the outside of the water there were dramatic ice sculptures. Some were clearly meant to be scenery, trees and even animals sculpted carefully around the pond. Then there were incredibly detailed and life-like sculptures of people, ones that Lance had clearly put a lot of time into.

Keith felt a pang of guilt, knowing how lonely Lance must have been before he came along.

He found Lance sitting all by himself on an ice bench, staring angrily at the pond in front of him. Keith sat down next to him, hands nervously fidgeting in his lap. They sat in silence for a long moment, before Keith realized he was waiting on Lance to take the initiative and lead the conversations like he always did, but that wouldn’t be happening this time. 

Keith would just have to try his best. 

“Hey.” He greeted, reaching over to place his hand lightly on Lance’s shoulder. It wasn’t immediately shrugged off, but Lance definitely didn’t try to turn in his direction. He just kept staring straight ahead, his gaze icy and cold.

“Hi.” Lance deadpanned, no emotion present in his tone. Keith hated it, realizing how much he’d taken Lance’s bubbly and upbeat personality for granted before now. He frowned, scooting closer and pressing himself up against Lance’s side. Lance didn’t protest, but he did seem a little bit shocked.

“This place is nice.” Keith offered up, looking around at all the sculptures again. 

“Thanks.” Lance mumbled, not looking up yet. Keith sighed, leaning forward so he would have to be in Lance’s line of view, seeing as his friend was making no effort to actually look at him the proper way. He wanted Lance to see how genuine he was when he gave this apology.

“Lance, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-” Keith didn’t get very far into things before Lance was suddenly sitting up straight, determinedly trying to avoid looking at Keith with everything he had. Keith glared at him. He really wasn’t one for serious discussions.

“It’s fine.” Lance insisted, getting to his feet. “I don’t need you to apologize to me, we can just forget it ever happened.”

“It isn’t  _ really  _ fine.” Keith argued under his breath. He grabbed Lance’s wrist before he could dart away again, holding him close enough to hear Keith out. “You were trying to be there for me and help me in the only way you knew how. I freaked out at you not because I expected you to do everything, but because I don’t know how to work with someone else to do something. It’s either I deal with it or someone else does, I’ve never really experienced teamwork before.”

“I’ve spent a lifetime on my own, what rock did you crawl out from underneath to be this bad at social interaction?” Lance replied, but the spitefulness in his tone did a poor job of hiding the genuine amusement behind the words. Keith broke out into a relieved smile, laughing breathlessly.

“Actually, I’ve been locked away in a castle my whole life, proper damsel in distress style.” Keith informed him, willing to share any part of his life to make sure Lance came back to him. If they were to be friends, which Keith really would like for them to be, he was going to have to be more honest.

Lance was staring at him in disbelief, so Keith nervously explained himself. “My parents were always wary of my powers, people always fear what they don’t understand. Then after I hurt my brother and he nearly died, that fear was all my father felt when he looked at me. My mother looked past it as best as she could, but I could tell she still saw it. I was capable of such monstrous things, it was hard for them to see me as anything other than a monster.”

Lance was definitely looking at him now, staring so closely that it was almost overwhelming. Keith could drown in the blues of his eyes like this, wide and sympathetic, filled with an understanding Keith had never dreamed of seeing on someone else’s face toward him.

“Keith,” Lance whispered, stepping closer and sitting next to Keith again, “you’re not a monster.”

“I know, I know.” Keith insisted hurriedly, shaking his head. “I guess I locked myself away as much as anyone else did, but it was for the greater good. I couldn’t let myself _ become _ the monster everyone was so afraid of.”

“You’re not a monster and an accident or two wouldn’t make you one.” Lance corrected, carefully sliding his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “If you were a monster, you wouldn’t care about who you hurt. You care more than anyone I’ve ever met. You were willing to give up your entire life to keep everyone else safe. That’s not a monster, that’s a hero.”

“Anyone would have done what I did.” Keith argued quietly, feeling flustered all of the sudden. Lance’s voice was just so sure of himself, so filled with affection that Keith wasn’t used to. He attempted to look away, but Lance grabbed his jaw and turned it carefully back to face him.

“No, not anyone.” Lance whispered, smiling softly at Keith. If the racing of his heart was anything to go by, Keith was surely about to cause another eternal winter with the overwhelming surge of emotion in his chest. He gulped, blushing like mad.

“What did you have in mind for lesson three anyway?” He asked, trying to feign casual. It didn’t seem to work, given the knowing smile on Lance’s lips, but he played along anyway.

“Well, seeing as you spent the majority of your life inside one room, I’m willing to bet you never learned how to ice-skate?” Lance grinned, holding his foot up and gesturing with his staff. Sure enough, a perfectly-crafted blade made of ice appeared on the bottom of Lance’s shoe. An ice skate. 

“I’m going to break my neck.” Keith blurted, already feeling apprehensive. Lance giggled at him, shaking his head.

“No, I won’t let you.” Lance argued, nudging his shoulder against Keith’s. “Will you try?”

“Sure.” Keith agreed, despite all of his nerves telling him he shouldn’t. After the mistake he’d just made, he sure as hell wasn’t going to pass up on any opportunity to spend time with Lance. Even if it was something downright terrifying like this.

“You gotta make your own skates.” Lance told him proudly, grabbing Keith’s ankle and hoisting his foot up onto the bench. Keith stared at his foot for a long moment, before closing his eyes and envisioning a skate just like Lance’s. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes there was something that closely resembled the same, albeit a lot more lumpy and unstable looking. 

“That doesn’t look safe.” Keith argued immediately. Lance carefully corrected the small imperfections in Keith’s work, grinning up at him afterward.

“You did a good job, Keith.” Lance told him, not sounding condescending in the slightest. Keith nodded along, gratefully taking Lance’s hand when they both attempted to stand on the blades. Keith fumbled like a newborn giraffe the second his skates touched the ice, but Lance held his balance despite Keith flailing against his side.

“How are you doing that?” Keith groaned in embarrassment, as he nearly face-planted for the tenth time. 

“Doing what?” Lance asked, looking down at himself. He wasn’t even moving or showing off any of his moves yet, just supporting Keith until he was more certain of himself.

“Standing!” Keith exclaimed, gesturing wildly. Lance tipped his head back and laughed like a fool.

“You’re adorable.” Lance concluded, wrapping his arm tighter around Keith’s middle and turning him so they were face-to-face again. Keith stumbled, his hands latching onto Lance’s shoulders and gripping on for dear life. Lance smiled at him, hands gently settling on Keith’s hips. “Come on, let me show you.”

“This isn’t even fun, Lance.” Keith complained loudly, even as Lance carefully started to move them across the ice. “It’s straight-up just terrifying.”

“Give it a minute, you’ve barely even started.” Lance insisted. As the seconds passed by, Keith spent less time focused on skating and more on getting closer to Lance. He ended up practically plastered to the other man for support, hugging him close. “See? You’re doing it. I bet you could even make it without me if you tried now.”

“Can we just do this the whole time?” Keith suggested instead, already knowing he wouldn’t be enjoying this at all if it weren’t for the excuse to cling to Lance. 

“You don’t wanna let go?” Lance teased, burying his face in Keith’s shoulder. “It’s just like dancing, you know.”

“I’ve never danced.” Keith informed him. Lance looked up at him with a slack jaw.

“ _ Never _ ? You’re a prince and you’ve never  _ danced _ ?” Lance seemed absolutely appalled by this new information he was learning, so Keith just nodded along and looked away in embarrassment. Lance sighed long and hard, before dramatically spinning them around. “Okay, I’ll lead.”

Keith yelped, hands scrambling across Lance’s front for support. That was the fastest he’d moved since stepping out onto the ice and he was already certain he didn’t like it. Still, the longer they spent moving around together, the more certain of his footing Keith became. It got to the point that he was willing to try skating without Lance practically holding him upright.

“Lance, look! I’m doing it!” Keith yelled triumphantly, making it all of five feet on his own before promptly toppling over onto the ice. Lance was by his side in a second, giggling even as he carefully helped Keith back to his feet.

“I’m so proud of you.” Lance told him, helping him over to the bench for a break. Keith settled against Lance’s side, yawning sleepily. The sun had near set outside now, they’d been skating for so long. He was almost looking forward to going back to the castle, despite how much fun he was starting to have. 

Lance cleared his throat suddenly, speaking up with an almost nervous lilt to his voice. “So, I had an idea while we were fighting.”

“That wasn’t a fight.” 

“Lover’s quarrel, whatever.” Lance corrected, completely unbothered. Keith lit up in a blush and vowed not to correct Lance again if more flirting was all he got out of it. “Anyway, I was thinking about your powers. They’re really strong, but your problem is you don’t know how to channel that strength. And conveniently, I have a tool  _ specifically _ for channeling my powers.”

“You want me to use your staff?” Keith gasped in realization, turning to Lance for confirmation of the crazy conclusion he’d jumped to. Lance didn’t look shocked in the slightest though, only smiled widely that Keith had guessed correctly.

“Isn’t it genius?”

“It’s dangerous, is what it is.” Keith disagreed immediately, shaking his head determinedly back and forth in denial. “What if it only amplified my powers and made everything worse? I can’t risk that.”

“You won’t even _ try _ it?” Lance whined pitifully, leaning his head on Keith’s shoulder and batting his eyelashes prettily. Keith grumbled, averting his eyes.

“You’ll intervene if I let it get out of hand?” Keith asked, still feeling unsure about this.

“I’ll be right here the whole time, Keith.” Lance promised him, getting to his feet and holding his hands out for Keith to take. He did, reluctantly following Lance out of the cave. They headed up to the very peak of the mountain again, where Lance had taken him sledding before.

“I don’t know about this.” Keith whispered, as Lance held the magical staff out to him. Lance pulled back, stepping closer himself instead and giving Keith an intimate smile, nothing but encouraging. “You don’t have to worry, I won’t leave you alone with this.”

“What do you want me to do with it?” Keith asked, eyeing the intimidating object as Lance held it at an arm’s distance, not wanting to spook Keith too early on. 

“You don’t have to do anything yet, just hold it.” Lance told him, carefully bringing the staff closer again and holding it between them. All Keith heard was the innuendo behind the words, Lance snorted at whatever expression he was wearing on his face. “Don’t think I missed that blush.”

“ _ Lance _ .” Keith groaned, hiding his face behind his hands. “Fine, but it’s not gonna work.”

Keith carefully wrapped his hands around the staff, holding onto it even as Lance let it go. He stood there awkwardly, staring down at it. Right now, he couldn’t feel much of anything, but he hadn’t tried to use his powers yet. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, only a pathetic few flurries of snow surrounded them. His heart began to race, annoyance and embarrassment flooding through him. He was stupid for even trying, for even thinking for a second it might work.

“It’s fine, you’re getting there.” Lance encouraged him, walking around to stand behind Keith. “You have to relax, that’s all. Try to embrace the magic and let it flow through you and into the staff.”

“I can’t.” Keith grit out, hands shaking where they gripped the staff.

“Shh, yes you can.” Lance insisted, whispering encouraging things in his ear to try and counter the spiking negative emotions Keith was feeling. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

“No!” Keith shouted, whirling around to face Lance. His eyes were narrowed and filled with blatant frustration, his bottom lip trembling as he tried not to cry. He thought of the people in his kingdom down below, how they were all suffering and blaming him for it. “I can’t! What if I make it worse?!”

“Keith.” Lance whispered, his tone apprehensive. He held his hands out between them, shushing Keith as if he were a spooked animal. “Calm down.”

Keith looked around them, blinking through his tears. The snow was swirling around them now, coming down in heavy drifts as the wind whipped it around through the air. It was a terrible storm brewing and it only seemed to be getting worse. Keith swallowed around the lump in his throat, fear spiking.

“I’m making it worse!”

“No, you’re just letting your emotions get the better of you again.” Lance insisted, trying to step closer to comfort Keith through it. Keith stumbled backward, trying to keep space between them. “You need to stay calm, flow like a river, take your time. You need your emotions to be reliable, these impulsive reactions are what’s causing all of this.”

“Lance.” Keith blubbered, crying now even as he gripped onto the staff so tightly his knuckles went white. He couldn’t let go now, he was too frightened. He stared back at Lance, unknowingly backing toward the cliff’s edge. “Lance, I’m scared.”

Lance blinked, memories he’d long ago forgotten flashing behind his eyelids.

He was standing in the middle of an icy lake, his hair brown where it fell in his eyes. He was skating around contently, waving a stick through the air dramatically as if it were a sword. It was clear that he was purposely acting aloof, being a goofball to entertain someone. Sure enough, when he swirled around in the memory, he came face-to-face with his younger sister.

Past-Lance froze, and even in the present time Lance could feel the rush of pure unadulterated horror he’d felt in that moment.

His sister was further away than he’d thought, standing toward the other side of the lake where the ice wasn’t nearly as strong. Beneath her, cracks were spreading out across the lake. Lance felt his heart rush to a stop. That was his little sister, his whole world. He’d promised his mama he’d take good care of her, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“Lance,” Marisela whimpered, big tears rolling down her cheeks as she trembled with fear. “I’m scared!”

“I know, I know, but you’re gonna be alright. You’re not gonna fall in.” Lance called in answer, even as doubts clouded his own mind. He skated closer, as close as he could comfortably get without adding to the mass of cracks in the ice near his sister. Instead, he was starting to make his own. 

He looked around helplessly. “Uh, we’re gonna have a little fun instead.”

“No, we’re not!” She shouted stubbornly, immediately regretting it when the slightest movement had the ice beneath her weakening further.

“Mari, would I trick you?” Lance sighed, placing his hand on his hip and cocking it to the side. Mari glared back at him, pouting her lips out.

“Yes, you always play tricks!” 

“Ha, well, n-not this time.” Lance stuttered out, offering up a weak smile. When she still didn’t look anywhere near convinced, he kneeled down on his skates to her level and suited her with a much more determined look. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, he would give anything to make sure she made it home safely. “I promise. I promise you’re gonna be fine. You have to believe in me.”

She took an uncertain breath, then reluctantly nodded her head.

“Okay.”

“You wanna play a game? We’re gonna play hopscotch like we do everyday.” Lance told her, swinging the stick in his hands around to keep his balance. Sure enough, he jumped three places across the ice, little cracks spawning beneath him the closer he got to her. “It’s as easy as one, two, three.”

“Haha!” Marisela laughed, watching her brother goofily stumble across the ice on purpose. She looked more hopeful now. As long as Lance could keep the fear off her face long enough to convince her to try, to give herself a chance… that’d be enough.

“Okay, now it’s your turn.” Lance told her, kneeling down and opening his arms as if to catch her when she hopped his way. Marisela bit her lip, taking a shaky step forward.

“One.” She counted aloud, panicking when the ice started to crack away under her small added weight. 

“Two.” Lance called in encouragement, endlessly thankful when she listened to him and actually took another shaky step. Then, as the ice started to finally give way and cave in, they both shouted three at the same time.

“Three!” The number rang out through the clearing, echoing around through the trees. She jumped as the ice gave way and Lance reacted in an instinct, his stick sweeping around her roughly enough to hurt and sending her flying across the lake as far as his strength could throw her.

He whipped his head around, watching as she skidded across the ice. It probably hurt and he felt a surge of guilt knowing she’d come home with bruises all over her, but more than that… at least she’d make it home. She would stumble through the forest all the way back to their cabin and their mama would comfort her, take care of her injuries and warm her up by the fire. She’d be okay.

Lance felt the ice beneath him shift, cracking and crumbling away into the hole she’d left in her wake. 

“Lance!” Mari cried out, but it was too late. He fell into the icy water and sunk down below the remaining ice, choking on the freezing water that filled his lungs. He clutched at his chest, gasping for air. 

Up above him, through the hole in the ice, he could see the moon looming in the evening sky.

He closed his eyes.

Lance came back to himself suddenly, realizing Keith was still freaking out in present time. He rushed into action, just like he had with his younger sister so many years before.

“Keith.” Lance breathed, tears in his eyes now too. He built up a snow drift behind Keith, surrounding all the edges of the mountain to keep him safe. He swept forward quickly, prying the staff out of Keith’s hands and throwing it haphazardly to the side. He grabbed Keith’s shaking form then, gathering him up in his arms. “Shh, it’s okay.”

“I can’t do it.” Keith sobbed, wrapping his arms around Lance’s middle.

“We can stop.” Lance insisted, his voice shaking. “I won’t force you. We’ll stop and go home.”

“I’m sorry.” Keith apologized over and over again, clearly riddled with guilt. The storm still raged on around them, but Lance paid it no mind. He clumsily picked Keith up, managing to grab his staff as well and fit it into the holster on his back.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Lance told Keith, as he carried him down the mountain. “You tried, that was all I asked for.”

“I failed.” Keith pointed out, exhaling against the wet patch of Lance’s neck, where Keith had been crying. He was starting to calm down now, but he was still noticeably shaken.

“There’s hardly anything in this life that a person gets right on the first try.” Lance comforted him quietly, carrying Keith into the castle and settling them both down in the bed. “Keith, it’s okay. You’re safe. We’re fine. I’m not upset with you, I’m proud of you.”

“P-Proud?” Keith struggled to get the word out, clearly unfamiliar with the concept.

“Very.” Lance confirmed, nodding urgently. He wrapped a blanket around Keith, bundling him up tight and simply holding him. “I’m just glad you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Even if I never want to try that again?”

“Yes.” Lance answered without a shred of hesitation. “If that’s the case, then we’ll just stay up here on the mountain together. The kingdom will be fine. Eventually they’ll adjust to the environment or they’ll move on. They’ll be fine down there and we’ll be fine up here.”

“Okay.” Keith breathed, feeling almost ashamed of how much he liked that idea. 

\-- 

Shiro woke up to an overwhelming amount of warmth surrounding him. He exhaled contently, leaning into the warmth. Suddenly, the disgusting feeling of something slimy and wet dragging across his face launched him out of his sleepy state.

Shiro bolted upright, eyes wide and breathing frantic.

From somewhere else in the small shed, Matt cackled in amusement. Shiro turned to look at him, then at the culprit who had assaulted his face. Rover the reindeer stared back at him, slimy tongue lapping at his lips. 

“Ew!” Shiro screeched, scrubbing at his face with his shirt. Upon seeing the offended look on the reindeer’s face, he slowly stopped and offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

“He’s not sorry at all.” Matt corrected him, plopping down next to Rover. He had a backpack full of supplies he seemed to be preparing. Shiro leaned in to examine the contents. It was mostly carrots for the damn reindeer. “Morning, sleeping beauty. We gotta sneak out of here before Varkon wakes up for the day. You ready to head out? The storm has mostly cleared.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Shiro agreed immediately, without a shred of hesitation. He was ready to find Keith and bring him back home. He jumped to his feet, already heading toward the door. Matt stared after him in shock, clearly not expecting such an invested reaction.

“Well, you’re determined, I’ll give you that.” Matt mused, clumsily following after him. They snuck through the crack in the door, walking outside to where a large sled was parked in the woods, hidden in the trees. 

Matt gestured to it proudly, puffing his chest out. “This is my sled.” 

“Let’s go.” Shiro answered immediately, not even bothering to look twice at the thing before climbing inside of it. Matt sighed, his shoulders slumping. They had a long trip ahead of them if the prince was always so straight to the point and boring.

By that night, Matt was pretty sure Shiro’s one-track mind was going to get them both killed. 

They’d already narrowly avoided an avalanche or two, Shiro had driven Rover over jumps he shouldn’t possibly be able to make, and the entire damn day Shiro complained loudly about how slow they were moving along. Matt regretted offering to help in the first place, even if he was a prince.

“We have to turn around!” Matt insisted, as the sun dipped below the horizon and bathed the entire forest in a blanket of darkness. They could hardly see a few feet in front of them, the lantern doing little to light their path when there was just so much snow around them. 

As expected, Shiro didn’t even try to listen to him.

“We’re getting closer, I know we are.” Shiro insisted stubbornly, attempting to snatch the reigns from Matt’s hands again. After the rather disastrous results of last time, Matt held onto them tight and refused to let him. “We can’t give up now!”

“There are wolves in these woods, Shiro! The mountain is getting too steep for my sled.” Matt insisted, knowing they were practically signing off on a death wish if they continued on any further after dark. It wouldn’t even be wise with the sunlight on their side.

“Then we’ll go by foot.” Shiro huffed, moving as if to jump out of the moving sled. Matt yelped, grabbing onto the prince’s shirt and yanking him back into the sled.

“Did I mention the  _ wolves _ ?!” Matt screeched, staring at Shiro in disbelief. The other man simply huffed and rolled his eyes, like the thought didn’t even bother him. He was pretty built though, perhaps he could fight off a pack of wolves with sheer force and brotherly love alone.

“He needs me, Matt.” Shiro insisted, suiting Matt with a steely glare. “Either you come with me or I’ll go alone.”

“I can’t, in good conscious, let a member of the royal family waltz off to his doom on my watch.” Matt sighed, ordering Rover to stay in place. The sled slid to a stop and Matt walked over to unfasten Rover, taking him off the sled so he could tag along with them. “I’ll just… leave my trusty sled behind. It’ll be fine. Probably.”

“Good.” Shiro concluded, not at all affected by the loss. He turned to the steep and snowy path ahead and set out as if it wasn’t the most daunting thing he’d ever seen. “Let’s go.”

So, they walked. And walked. And walked. 

Nearly twenty-four hours later and they were still walking, despite all the hardships they’d run into on their way up the steeper parts of the mountain. It was less a straight path up now and more just trying to find anything that looked remotely climbable. By now, Matt was starting to doubt they’d even find the other prince.

“We’ve been walking nearly two full days.” Matt wheezed, doubling over and supporting himself against a snow-covered boulder. “Your brother was probably in one of the snowdrifts we’ve already passed.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Shiro snapped, having grown more irritable since they ran out of Matt’s supply of carrots for food. Shiro realized he’d lashed out almost immediately, his face apologetic as he slid down to sit in the snow. He sighed, burying his face in his hand. “I’m worried enough as it is.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean it.” Matt said urgently, walking over and sitting down next to Shiro. He placed a hand on the prince’s knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. “I’m sure he’s fine, he’s just higher up.”

“How would he even find a safe way up there all on his own?” Shiro mumbled, sounding close to tears. It was a bit odd seeing this hulking mass of a man with zero fears toward anything be so close to breaking down, but Matt rose to the task of comforting him anyway. He had a little sibling, he knew it’d break his heart the same way it was breaking Shiro’s right now if he were to lose them.

“Maybe he used his powers to climb?” Matt suggested, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, but I do know we’re gonna find him.”

“If he’s even still out there.” Shiro sighed, tipping his head back and staring up at the sky. Matt mirrored his position, jaw dropping when he saw the giant storm swirling overhead at the top of the mountain. A quick glance told him the rest of the surrounding area wasn’t affected by the same storm, meaning it had to be...

“Uh, Shiro?” Matt trailed off, eyes wide. “I’d say he’s definitely still out there.”

“Keith.” Shiro whispered, voice soft and full of reverence.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter after this one and it's sorta just the epilogue where everything gets wrapped up! I'm thinking I might actually update it in the next couple days just because it's shorter and I like the idea of finishing this up before summer really starts. Let me know what you thought!!
> 
> Below are some links to my social medias, come and hang-out with me. 
> 
> Also consider checking out the klance reverse bang, who knows, maybe you'll wanna join for next year!
> 
> melancholymango.tumblr.com
> 
> https://twitter.com/MelancholyMango
> 
> https://klancereversebang.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

Keith woke up first the next day. He stayed in bed simply staring at Lance for a long while, admiring the slope of his cheekbones and the sleepy flutter of his eyelashes. He looked completely at ease, expression bathed in a peacefulness that he never wore when he was awake. Despite his happy-go-lucky cheerful attitude, Lance carried with him the wisdom of all the years he'd lived, alone or not. Keith felt for him, wished it could always be as simple as lying in bed like this.

Eventually, though, he was forced to admit that it wasn't. He couldn’t help but overhear the whistling winds outside. He rolled over in bed, staring toward the window.

Immediately, he was out of the bed and across the room, staring out into the storm that was raging on outside. He could barely see anything outside, only the swirl of white snow falling heavily around the castle. It was the worst storm he'd ever seen. He pressed his palm to the window, heart racing.

“Lance.” Keith called, turning to stare back toward the bed. Lance was sprawled out across it, taking over every bit of space Keith had opened up after leaving. He hated that he had to wake the other boy, but he couldn't face this problem all on his own. He repeated himself, watching as slowly Lance lifted his head from the pillow, hair sticking out in every which way. He looked confused and disoriented, not at all ready for the panicky lilt to Keith's voice. “It’s still storming. It didn’t stop overnight. I think we made it worse.”

Lance’s squinty sleep-filled eyes widened. He scrambled out of the bed, padding over to where Keith was sitting in the window. Looking out into the storm, it was impossible to try and deny the obvious. They'd definitely contributed to this mess somehow, the chances of a storm like this popping up out of nowhere were just too slim. Lance's lips curved downward slightly, his expression looking grim.

Keith swallowed harshly, staring up at him. "What do we do? What do you think the kingdom looks like right now? Oh God, what if they're all snowed in and helpless?! What have I d-"

Lance shushed him, reaching down to run his fingers through Keith's hair. He wrapped his arms around the other boy, leaning over him protectively.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Lance whispered gently, calming his anxiety. Keith trembled in his hold all the same. He leaned into Lance's chest, trying and failing to calm his breathing back down to a regular rate. Lance held him through it. “We’ll fix it.”

“How?!” Keith exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. Lance sighed, grabbing them and holding them tight.

“I don’t know, but we’ll find a way.” Lance sounded so sure of himself, Keith decided to put his faith in him. Lance held him for a long while, before eventually heading out to the kingdom below them. Keith did his best to keep himself occupied as he awaited word to come back to him on how the townspeople were coping in the storm. He knew Lance would do all he could to help them, but he wasn't sure how much that was.

An hour or so in and Keith came to the conclusion that the castle was unbearably lonely all by himself. None of the awe-worthy architecture or personal touches Lance had left around the place made any difference when he could hear the echo of his own footsteps and see his breath in the air. It was nothing more than an over-glorified cave when there was no one there to share it with, an empty place that hardly felt like a home. He thought of Lance spending a lifetime here all by himself and it made his chest hurt.

He was just about to the point of going after Lance on his own despite the storm, when he heard the doors downstairs swing open.

Keith lit up in relief, running toward the stairwell. He wanted to greet Lance with open arms, still dwelling on the thought of how long he'd been stuck here all on his own without anyone to come home to. Keith hated the thought with a passion. 

He had only just made it to the top of the stairs when a shout rang out through the empty rooms of the castle.

"Keith!" The name bounced off the walls, hitting Keith from every angle in one overwhelming sweep. He recognized it in an instant, knew for a fact that that wasn't Lance calling out to him. He bit his lip, disbelief crawling up his throat. He stepped down the stairs one by one, hesitant but strangely hopeful. Halfway down and sure enough, he spotted his older brother standing in the middle of the grand entry hall.

 

“Shiro…” Keith trailed off, hand squeezing the stair railing. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shiro looked up, staring wide-eyed toward him. His entire body was covered in a thick layer of snow, his cheeks flushed, his normally black hair matching Keith's own stark white hair it was so littered with snow from the storm. Keith had no doubt in his mind that his brother was frostbitten head-to-toe. Even as he looked up and met Keith's gaze, Shiro's teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Still, he smiled like a fool and attempted to run toward Keith.

“I was so worried about you, you idiot!” Shiro shouted breathlessly, running as best as he could. Keith shrunk away, scrambling backward up the stairs to put space between them.

“No, don’t, I’ll hurt you!” Keith yelled, his voice wavering. Shiro listened to him, stopping at the bottom of the stairs despite how it seemed to pain him to keep that distance. The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment, Shiro’s gaze pleading, Keith’s frantic and closed-off. There were emotions flitting across their faces too quickly to be distinguished. This was the last thing Keith had been prepared for, the last thing he'd expected. It was nearly a death wish to climb this mountain if you weren't resistant to the cold, yet somehow Shiro had made it all the way up here.

For him.

“Did you build this place?!” Another voice called out, following in Shiro’s footsteps. “It’s amazing!”

Keith's eyes darted to the stranger in the room, narrowing defensively. The man was walking toward them, looking around at all of Lance's hard work in awe and wonder, much like Keith probably had when he found this place for the first time. Now, it just felt intrusive and uncomfortable. This was supposed to be his and Lance's sanctuary, a place where no one else could find them. 

“Who is that?” Keith asked, eyes narrowing at the stranger.

“This is Matt, he helped me get up here.” Shiro explained hurriedly, but he didn’t seem too concerned about the strange man inviting himself into Lance’s home. Shiro stepped up the first stair, holding a hand out to Keith. “We’re here to take you home, Keith.”

Keith blinked rapidly, beginning to slowly shake his head. In the distance, he watched as Lance slipped in through the doors, looking shocked as he noticed their visitors. Keith looked toward him pleadingly, staring straight past Shiro. Lance started toward him, going unnoticed by the others.

“What makes you think I wanna go back?” Keith responded finally, looking back to his brother. He took a deep breath, feeling relieved as Lance started to climb the stairs toward him. He leaned into Lance's side the moment the other came to a stop beside him, his mere presence bringing comfort. “This _ is _ my home now.”

“Keith.” Shiro kept his voice even, trying desperately to reason with him. “You don’t have to protect me anymore, I’m not afraid.”

“You _ should _ be.”

“Please don’t shut me out again, you don’t have to keep your distance anymore.” Shiro pleaded with him, starting up the stairs. Keith backed away twice as quickly, determined to keep the space between them under any circumstances. Shiro frowned. “Keith, I understand.”

“You don’t understand at all!” Keith yelled back at him, tears building in his eyes.

“I do!” Shiro shouted, so loud it shook the icy chandelier above their heads. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Keith could count the times he’d seen Shiro lose his composure on one hand, his emotions always kept locked down. Now, the pain and the hurt shone through in his eyes as clear as day. “You’ve lived your entire life trying to protect everyone else from yourself. You were scared of yourself, of what you could do. But you don’t have to be, because we’re gonna figure it out together, you and me. I finally know, I have the missing piece of the puzzle, I know why you are the way you are and now I can be there for you. I just want you to be happy.”

Shiro held his hand out still, shaking it insistently. Keith continued to back away, Lance silently following.

“I’m not going back down this mountain, Shiro.” Keith whispered, shaking his head. “I’m happy  _ here _ .”

“All alone in the freezing cold? You can’t be.” Shiro insisted, his voice taking on a pleading element. He looked so desperate. “I saw the look in your eyes when you reached out on coronation day. You wanted help, you just didn’t know how to ask for it. I can help.”

“I don’t need help!” Keith yelled at him, feeling his powers begin to swirl through his veins. He was so emotionally charged, he couldn’t possibly hope to control them. He backed away, guilt eating away at him when he thought about the possibility he might hurt Shiro again. The sheer power thrumming in his hands was unbearable, borderline painful as he used all of his strength to hold it back.

“Yes, you do.” Keith froze, turning to Lance. The man's face was expressionless, eyes faraway from the moment even as he stood by Keith's side through the entire exchange and did his best to help. Keith stared at him, a deep frown taking root on his face.

All the anger in him depleted, replaced by a bone hollow sadness that ate away at the core of him. He blinked at Lance, reaching out to him. Lance stepped away, not looking Keith in the eye. There was something off about how quickly he'd closed himself off, but maybe that was only what Keith wanted to believe. Maybe Lance wasn't as desperate to have him stay as Keith was to be here. “You should go back with him, Keith. He’s your family. Your home. Those are the most important things in life, don’t take them for granted. I’d give anything to see my siblings again.”

“So, what? You want me to leave?” Keith asked, uncaring what it’d look like to the people in the room who couldn’t see Lance. The unspoken questions hung heavy between them, the overwhelming need for reassurance in Keith's question not going unnoticed. Lance kept himself closed off and unreadable.

“I just want you to be happy.” Lance whispered, glancing up at Keith. The words didn't answer a single one of his questions, neither did the slew of mixed emotions that Lance now wore blatantly on his face. They might have if Keith had taken the time to look closer, but as it was he felt too hurt and dejected to try and sort them all. The specifics of what Lance was feeling hardly mattered, he'd made his stance clear.

“Everyone keeps saying that but no one is listening to me!” Keith growled, blinking away tears. He turned to Shiro, eyes ablaze with anger. His powers were sparking now, unable to be held at bay as the hurt in his chest almost had him doubling over. Snow fell all throughout the room, the blue chill of ice climbing up Keith's forearm following in due time. “I know what makes me happy better than any of you do!”

He didn't give anyone the chance to try and stop him. Keith hopped over the stair railing and caught himself on a slide of ice, thankful for all the work Lance had done to help him control his powers. He ran across the room then, desperate to remove himself from the situation. He headed toward the back door, even as wet tears began to blur his vision and make the entire process more difficult. He swiped desperately at them with his sleeves.

“Keith!” Shiro shouted after him, trying to catch up to him. “Don’t run away from me again, we need to face this together!”

“No!” Keith screamed back, running out into the storm. He paused in the doorway, the sound of heavy footsteps following behind him. He spun around, all of his emotions boiling over at once. Ice shot backward, hitting Shiro’s ankle and sending him off-balance. He fell to the ground with a cry, clasping his injured leg. Keith stared back at him, a pang of guilt in his chest. This was exactly why he'd put space between them in the first place. He couldn't be trusted.

The only person who could possibly be safe around him was Lance. And Lance didn't want him to stay.

Keith curled in on himself, rapidly shaking his head as Shiro attempted to get back to his feet. Keith turned and ran out into the storm, as fast as his legs could carry him through the whipping winds outside. “I need to be alone!”

Shiro immediately attempted to run after him, but Lance was faster. He hopped down from the stairs and ran after Keith, worry eating away at him. He built a wall of snow across the doorway to hold the others back, not wanting them to follow behind and put themselves in danger. Carefully, he engraved a message into the surface of the snowdrift, hoping that'd be enough to hold them back.

_ Stop. _

_ I’ll go after him. _

“I’m his brother! If anyone should go after him, it’s me!” Shiro shouted, though he did have the decency to look thoroughly confused by the fact the snow was talking to him now. Lance was already leaving though, unwilling to listen to a word of negotiation Shiro might have to offer. He had to make sure Keith was alright. Nothing else mattered to him in that moment. 

Shiro felt very similarly, but as he attempted to struggle to his feet despite the icy flooring and broken ankle, Matt was there to hold him back.

“Hey, maybe we should listen to the freaky magical ice writing? Just a thought.”

Satisfied that he had a few minutes’ head start at least, Lance took off after Keith. He ran through the raging storm, the wind blowing snow across his path so quickly he couldn’t even follow the footprints Keith left. He had to follow instinct alone, assume he knew where Keith was headed. This would be Keith’s first time climbing up to the very peak of the mountain on his own. It was undoubtedly dangerous without Lance there to help him along the way. He could only hope that Keith hadn't managed to get lost in the storm and wander too close to the cliffs.

Lance ran after him, jumping and allowing the wind to carry him most the way. He landed on the top, whipping his head around in every direction. It took him a while to spot him in the snow that filled the air, but Keith was definitely at the top of the mountain with him. Lance sagged in relief, starting toward him. He was safe, for now. Of course, with how the storm was bracketing his small frame, he hardly looked safe standing so high up.

“Keith!” Lance called out, hands cupped around his mouth. Keith spotted him, then promptly tried to back further away, closer to the edge. He curled in on himself, looking so small and afraid. It was clear now that Lance had made a dire mistake by encouraging him to go home, but it was too late to take it back, to explain that he hadn't meant a rejection by those words.

“Go away, Lance!” Keith screamed at him, the skies overhead beginning to rain down painful lumps of hail that battered against their skin. Lance could feel the electrical charge of Keith's emotions in the air, affecting everything around them. The anger and hurt weighed down on them like gravity. “You’ll only make it worse!”

“What is wrong with you?!” Lance yelled back, stomping toward Keith. He built up a mountainous snow drift behind the other boy, ensuring he wouldn’t fall off the edge no matter what, even as he desperately tried to keep space between them. He wanted to avoid this confrontation, but Lance wasn't having it. “Stop pushing people away, we’re past that stage!”

“I can’t do this!”

“You have to let go, Keith.” Lance told him, finally getting close enough that he could pounce forward and tackle Keith. They wrestled in the snow, until Lance finally came out on top and sat over the other boty, breathless and panting. “All of this fear is what makes it so unpredictable. You need to embrace it, you need to love your powers.”

“You loved your powers and look where it got you!” Keith shouted in his face, frantic and determined to get away. Lance flinched, biting his lip. He held his ground though, watching on as Keith broke down beneath him. As much as it pained Lance to watch, he knew that Keith needed to just let go and allow himself to drown in the emotions he'd been locking away for so long. He stopped thrashing and simply laid there, crying messily as the hail continued to scatter all around them. “They’re better off without me. I hurt everyone I love.”

“Oh, Keith.” Lance sighed, shaking his head. “You’re not thinking about doing what I think you are, are you? This world would be nothing without you.”

“I don’t know how else to fix this.” Keith choked out, his voice pained. “I  _ need _ to fix this.”

“Not that badly, you don’t.” Lance argued immediately, dropping on top of Keith and smothering him into the ground with a hug. Keith was tense for a few seconds before carefully wrapping his arms back around Lance’s middle. “What you’re doing right now is a loss all-around. It won’t fix anything, it’ll only cause more damage.”

“I can’t let myself become the monster, Lance.” Keith whispered, sniffling wetly. “I’m _ hurting  _ people.”

“And you think this is the solution that’ll stop that?!” Lance exclaimed, unable to hide the anger in his voice, or how much the idea disgusted him down to his core. Keith recoiled from him and Lance crumbled, falling on top of him and burying his face into Keith's shirt. He shook his head, fingers gripping on tight to the material like he feared Keith might disappear at any moment now that the thought of losing him had occurred. “Do you have any idea how much it would hurt  _ me  _ to lose you?”

“B-But you told me to go home.” Keith mumbled, turning his head to the side to avoid looking Lance directly in the eye even with their close quarters. Lance wasn't having any of that though, he gripped Keith's jaw and turned him back. They stared at each other for a long, unbearably tense moment. Keith's bottom lip trembled, a blubbering whine slipping out before he could stop it. “I didn’t think you wanted me here anymore!”

Lance's entire expression softened in understanding then, a deep understanding in his heart. He knew what it was like to think himself unwanted, especially when he had no one else to turn to. He never would have dreamed of pinning that feeling on Keith.

“Of course I want you.” Lance exhaled shakily. “I just want you to be happy more.”

“I _ am _ happy.” Keith argued, but there was no bite behind his words. He reached up, smoothing the worried lines of Lance's forehead out, smiling kindly up at him. Lance grinned back. “You make me happy.”

“You make me happy too.” Lance responded easily, his gaze softening. He reached behind him then, pulling his staff from his back. He placed it beside Keith on the ground, wordlessly nodding his head toward it. “Listen, Keith, if we're gonna fix this we have to try something different. I have an idea, but I need your help. Try one more time? For me?”

“Lance.” Keith whined, trying to push Lance away. He was staring apprehensively toward the magical staff, like he didn't trust it enough to take his eyes off of it. 

“Just once.” Lance pleaded, grabbing the staff and holding it out to Keith. “I have an idea that’ll work with your impulsive emotions, rather than try to tame them down.”

“I don’t-”

“Trust me, Keith.” Lance whispered urgently, shoving the staff into his hands. Shiro would be coming back soon and after that it’d be far more difficult to steal away all of Keith’s attention like this. He needed this to work and he needed it to happen now. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” Keith answered, without a beat of hesitation. He took the staff in his hands, furrowing his eyebrows together and trying to force something good to happen. He tried to channel all of his powers, tried to focus on fixing all the terrible things he’d done. It was an overwhelming amount of things to concentrate on though, his thoughts bouncing uncontrollably all over the place, and his emotions even less predictable.

“That’s the spirit.” Lance encouraged him gently, raking a hand through his hair. But Keith was already shaking his head back and forth, having come to the same conclusion Lance already knew about. His powers were linked too closely to his emotions, there was no way he could make positive things happen with so much negativity filling him to the brim. It was beyond his skillset anyway, even at his best and happiest with Lance, he hadn't been able to control his powers to this extent.

“It’s the exact same, Lance, I can’t-” Lance cut him off, swooping in the moment Keith tried to open his eyes and pressing their lips together. Keith froze, going adorably slack against him. He didn't even breathe, so very still it was like he was as frozen as the environment around them. 

“Let yourself relax.” Lance whispered against his lips, breaking out into a smile. He pulled back, smiling down at Keith's shocked face. His eyebrows were furrowed together, nose scrunched up, lips still pursed into a pout even now that Lance had pulled away. Keith cracked an eye open, peeking up at him through his lashes. Lance traced Keith's cheekbone with his thumb, mapping out his face and cataloging it all to memory. “I'm gonna kiss you again, this time let yourself enjoy it.”

“But you’re-” 

“I’m not doing this for you.” Lance cut him off before he could even suggest it. He leaned back, resting their foreheads together. “I’m just pretending to so I don’t look so selfish, but this entire thing was self-indulgent. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment we met and my resolve just happened to crumble right now.”

“You’re an idiot.” Keith chuckled, but he leaned forward again all the same, eyes falling lightly shut.

Lance brought their lips together again, and this time Keith kissed him back. They pressed close to each other, breathing in each other's air as they lost themselves in the embrace.  Keith kissed him like his life depended on it, eager and messy, blatantly inexperienced, but so invested that none of it mattered. Lance was fondly laughing into the kiss, overwhelmed by the searing passion Keith was putting into it. It was like they were making up for every year Keith had spent alone and untouched, desperately craving the love and affection of another person. Lance was more than willing to make up for every lost second.

Keith gripped Lance’s shirt, finally allowing himself to just indulge in how very desperately he wanted something. He clung to Lance, melting back into the snow while Lance licked into his mouth. His thoughts were mush and he was swimming in them, lost to the sensation.

And for once in his life, he just wasn’t worried. About anything.

He would have been completely content to stay just like that for the rest of time, drowning in all of Lance’s warmth and affection.

When they did inevitably break apart, it was only so Lance could place a few more rapid close-mouthed kisses to his lips, pecking him over and over again. Keith arched up off the ground, eager to meet the next kiss, and the one after that. Now that he'd started, he was certain he'd never want to stop. Eventually, as Keith bit at Lance's bottom lip and tried to initiate something more involved again, Lance pulled back. Not very far, just enough to brush their noses together and look into Keith's eyes, blown out wide with admiration and awe.

“Check it out.” Lance whispered, turning to stare skyward.

“What?” Keith asked, peering up past Lance’s shoulder. With the storm blatantly clearing away, Keith finally realized what Lance's intentions had been all along. He understood now what Lance had meant by working with his emotions, that he'd purposely tried to make him feel only the most positive ones to spark the good of his powers. Keith breathed heavily, feeling overwhelmed as he watched the skies clear into something sunny and familiar. “ _ Lance _ .”

“Shh, shh, it’s okay.” Lance shushed him, pressing adoring kisses all over his face. Keith blushed under the attention, but he closed his eyes and went along with it, trying to lose himself in the love he was being swathed in. “You’re doing it, Keith, you’re a hero.”

“I’m a hero?” Keith whispered, eyes clenching shut.

“Damn right you are.” Lance replied, fondness seeping into every word. He looked up at the sky overhead, watching as the dark clouds clear and a bright blue sky replaced it. The sun shone through brightly even as high up in the mountain as they were. It screamed summer weather. Lance lit up, pressing one final kiss to Keith’s forehead. “You did it. Better stop now before you turn the kingdom into a desert.”

Keith blinked his eyes open, dropping the staff abruptly. Keith sat up, looking around himself in shock. He turned to look out over the mountain, climbing up the snowdrift Lance had made to keep him safe and peering down at the kingdom down below. Lance followed him up, staring down with him. The ice over the fjord had all melted away and the snow in the town seemed to be well on its way to doing the same under the hot, summer sun.

“I did it.” Keith whispered, disbelief etched across his face.

“Yeah, you did.” Lance agreed, grabbing Keith’s hand and sending them both sliding down the drift. No sooner had they touched ground than did Shiro run up with Matt close on his tail. They stopped, staring at where Keith sat on his ass in the middle of the snow.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, looking concerned. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine.” Keith laughed, still feeling giddy from everything that’d just happened. Meanwhile, Matt scaled the snowdrift and looked down at the kingdom to confirm if the storm had ended everywhere or just on the mountain. He lit up, turning back to Shiro with a smile.

“Shiro, look! Keith ended the eternal winter!”

“You did it.” Shiro breathed, turning to Keith in disbelief. “All on your own.”

“Not exactly all on my own.” Keith mumbled shyly, reaching out and grabbing Lance’s hand. He pulled him to his feet, loudly clearing his throat. “There’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

“Huh?” Matt asked, looking around in confusion. Keith nudged Lance forward a step, smiling encouragingly at him. Lance nervously smiled at Shiro, looking uncertain.

“This is Lance.” Keith introduced him, hoping his theory was right and that other people would be able to see Lance if he brought their attention directly to him. Lance was real, after all, a tangible person that just seemed to be trapped on another plane. If Keith could see through the veil to that other plane, then surely they could too if they knew where to look. “He lifted the storm.”

“As much as I live for praise, I have to disagree.” Lance argued, elbowing Keith in the side. Keith laughed at him, shoving right back. “That was all you. I was just here for the view.”

“The fancy ice castle was his doing.” Keith explained, pride shining through his words. 

“Now that’s praise I can gratefully accept.” Lance said decidedly, tilting his chin up. He hesitated when no one reacted though, turning to face Keith. “Um, are you sure they can they see me?”

“I think so?” Keith managed, glancing between Shiro and Matt. They both wore matching blank looks, almost unreadable in how barren they were. Keith shrugged, looking unhelpfully back to Lance. “That or they think I’m going crazy, it’s hard to say based on their expressions alone.”

“Does he have invisibility powers?!” Matt screeched suddenly, soaring forward to look Lance over like he was some kind of experiment gone wrong. Keith groaned, turning to Shiro in exasperation. At the very least, Shiro had the decency to walk up to Lance and offer his hand to shake like a normal human being.

Lance took it, with his free hand that wasn’t currently wrapped up in Keith’s. He looked over the moon to have so many people looking at him rather than through him.

“So you weren’t dealing with all of this on your own after all, huh?” Shiro mused, turning to Keith with a kind look. “I really wanted to be the one to help you, I always have and I thought this was finally my chance. But, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I could have. I’m glad you found what you needed, even if it wasn’t me.”

“I need you too, Shiro.” Keith explained, staring down at his feet. “Lance might be the expert on magical ice powers, but he doesn’t know the first thing about running a kingdom. I’m gonna need your help for a long while yet, if you’re still offering.”

“You’re coming back?” Shiro asked, eyes widening. Keith smiled at him, nodding his head.

“Soon.” Keith promised. Shiro lit up, grinning so wide it was almost blinding. He stepped closer, cautiously reaching out to place a hand on Keith’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Shiro asked, swallowing harshly. Keith looked up at him, hesitating for a moment before throwing caution to the wind and stumbling forward. He collapsed into Shiro’s chest, hugging him tight enough to make up for all the years he hadn’t been able to.

\--

Keith walked in the bedroom, smiling when he saw that Lance was still awake. He walked over, climbing into bed next to him. Lance dropped the book he’d been reading, instead rolling over to face Keith and bring him in close for cuddles. Keith went willingly, shoving his face into Lance’s chest and sighing contently. Over the course of the past few hours, chatting with Shiro about the state of the kingdom and where they were going from here, Keith had desperately missed Lance's touch. Especially now that they'd kissed and he had more of that to look forward to.

“So, I just saw them off, they’re on their way down the mountain to start preparing the castle for my real coronation.” Keith explained, hitching a leg over Lance’s hips and getting impossibly closer. “They need to do some damage control to calm down angry citizens too, I’m sure, but I’ll help with that once I get down there.”

“I’m sure you’ll do a great job.” Lance hummed, carding his fingers through Keith’s hair. They relaxed into each other, sleepy after such a long day. “You’re gonna make an amazing king, Keith.”

“Thank-you.” Keith whispered back, pressing a kiss to Lance’s collarbone. “I’m still a little worried, but I don’t feel like I’m going into it all alone anymore.”

“Good.”

“I’m thinking I’ll probably stay a couple more nights, give them some time to get things cooled down.”

“Good plan.” Lance agreed without hesitation, staring up at the ceiling. Keith propped himself up on an elbow, studying Lance’s face now that he could see it. It was mostly blank, but Keith had gone long enough trying to hide his feelings to know when someone else was doing it. All he had to do was concentrate, really try and see through the mask Lance was wearing, and then there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he'd said something wrong.

“Is that okay?” Keith asked, reaching out and brushing his finger along Lance’s cheekbone.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Lance asked, shaking his head remotely. “I didn’t expect you to stay here forever.”

“I know, it’s just… won’t you be lonely while I’m gone?” Keith asked, frowning deeply. “I don’t know how often I’ll be able to visit.”

“I’ve been alone before, I’ll be fine.” Lance insisted, trying to brush off Keith’s concern so they could both just go to sleep. Keith wasn’t dropping it though. Lance had pushed him when he needed a push to help him talk about his feelings, Keith would give him the same. “Do what makes you happy, don’t worry about me.”

“I already told you that you make me happy, so stop acting like I’ll be better off without you. I’m going to be thinking about you every second I’m gone.” Keith grumbled, not liking the fact that Lance wasn’t taking his feelings seriously. He hated that Lance was insecure in the slightest bit, that he could convince himself that Keith wasn't as invested in their relationship as he was. Keith felt just as strongly. 

Lance sighed in exasperation, turning to him with a frown.

“What do you want me to do, Keith? Beg you to stay? I’m just trying to support you, no matter what that means. I want to be here for you and-”

“I want you to come back with me.” Keith interrupted, his tone certain. He couldn’t imagine taking on the rest of his life without Lance by his side, supporting him. Especially something as terrifying as running a kingdom. He wasn’t a natural leader like some, he needed support to help him. He’d never met anyone as supportive as Lance. Besides, he needed the happiness and positivity that their love brought with it if he ever hoped to control his powers fully. 

“No one would be able to see me.” Lance argued quietly, a blush on his cheeks. 

“I’d introduce you one by one if I had to.” Keith insisted stubbornly, nuzzling into Lance’s cheek and kissing the burning pink flush away. Lance swatted playfully at him, before eventually giving up and pulling Keith closer instead.

“It’s not a good idea.” Lance whispered, but he rolled over and kissed Keith anyway. They kissed lazily, nothing like the emotionally charged embrace from before, but meaningful in its own way. It was calm and loving, a simple sort of comfort that neither of them had been gifted the luxury of for far too long. To love and to be loved, it was Keith's greatest accomplishment yet.

When they pulled apart, Keith smiled down at Lance and shrugged his shoulders.

“Why?” Keith hummed. “I need someone to keep me company, someone who understands. There’s no one else out there who understands like you do. It’s a good idea.”

“We just… can’t.” Lance explained, biting his lip. He looked like it was paining him to reject Keith as much as it hurt Keith to be rejected. Something wasn’t right here. Keith frowned, placing his hand over Lance’s beating heart and tracing circles across the skin of his chest.

“Talk to me.” Keith mumbled. “I thought we were past shutting each other out.” 

“The moon wants me to be alone. If it didn’t, it would have let me stay with my family.” Lance looked like it hurt him to talk about it, which completely contrasted how he’d spoken when they first met. He’d talked of the moon as if he worshiped it, but now it was clear he wasn’t as blindly devoted as he’d seemed at first. He was confused and scared, especially after being alone for so long. This second life of his hadn't come with any directions, any clear goal, or anyone else to rely on. Lance was left entirely alone for years, desperately chasing a purpose.

He missed his family.

Keith frowned.

“Maybe it couldn’t, maybe this was the closest thing it could do.” Keith offered up. “Maybe… the moon gave you  _ me  _ to make up for it.”

“I can’t watch you die.” Lance blurted, his voice cracking as tears starting to gather in his eyes. He sniffled, refusing to let them fall and make a mess of himself. He’d promised he was going to be there for Keith, to support him no matter what. The last thing he wanted was to pressure Keith into staying or leaving for Lance’s sake alone. “You’re going to grow old and I’m going to stay the same forever.”

“You told me that the moon wasn’t cruel. That it never took more than it could give.” Keith argued, believing that much to be true after his own lesson with his powers. “If I can control the seasons, then I can control time, and if I can control time I can freeze it for-”

“For me?” Lance asked, blinking back at him in shock. “You’d curse yourself to live forever for my sake? You realize you’d have to watch everyone die too, you would be alone forever. I would never ask you to do that.”

“I wouldn’t be doing it for you.” Keith stated plainly. Lance stared at him for a long moment, before he seemed to break out into a smile despite himself.

“The man who never asks for anything for himself is willing to give up everything for this? You want to stay together that badly?” Lance mused. Keith nodded, confident enough in his decision that he didn’t even feel bashful about it. He wanted this, more than he’d ever allowed himself to want anything for himself. “We don’t even know if you’re capable of doing something like that.”

“I’ve spent my entire life trying to hide my powers, I’m going to spend the rest of it learning all about them. I’ll find a way to keep us together.” 

“I thought I was supposed to be the naive one?” Lance teased, but his voice wasn’t the same. It was forced and uncertain, filled with anxiety. Keith shifted closer to him, wiping Lance’s tears away from his face. He hugged the other boy, holding him together as he fell apart.

“Don’t leave me.” Keith whispered, soft and simple.

This time when Lance disappeared into his memories, he didn’t see something new. He remembered something that’d happened after his death, after receiving his powers. It was a memory he’d thought back to so many times, night after night, that he couldn’t have forgotten it even if he’d tried. And sometimes he did try, desperate to be rid of the pain it brought.

He told Keith that he left his family when he realized they were growing old without him, but that wasn’t the whole truth. He couldn’t bring himself to leave at first, even as he watched his mother grow weary and thin, unhealthy in her old age.

Then, one day while he’d been aimlessly sitting around the house in his ghost-like state, silently enjoying her company and fondly watching her bustle around the house doing chores... she’d collapsed. Lance had never felt so very hopeless. He’d screamed for help until his lungs were hoarse, but no one could hear him. It took a good ten minutes for one of his siblings to walk into the house and find their mother in that state, wheezing and clutching her chest on the ground.

Vera was born after Lance’s death, his mother had been pregnant with her at the time. The one sibling Lance had never had the chance to meet, she had simply grown up without him in her life. It was heartbreaking, never getting to know her, to laugh and play with her like the others. Lance had to watch on helplessly all the times she needed him and he couldn’t be there for her, had never been there for her.

She was almost eighteen when their mother passed. Eighteen years Lance had stuck around, desperately clinging to the last of his life he had.

“Mama?” Vera asked, tears building in her eyes as she looked down at her sick mother. The choking had subsided and now she simply seemed lifeless, her eyes barely staying open. She forced a smile for little Vera’s sake, but it was weak and stretched-thin. Her life was reaching its end and everyone knew it.

So, his sister turned and ran for help, leaving their dying mother alone on her deathbed. “Brother! Come quick! Something’s wrong with Mama!”

In her absence, their mother seemed to relax. Content to just let go and move on.

Lance panicked though, from where he sat invisible on the counter. He hopped down and ran to her side, trying desperately to clutch her hand even as his kept going straight through it. He cursed and yelled in frustration, slumping next to her and breaking down. He cried uselessly, knowing she couldn’t hear him and it wouldn’t change a damn thing even if he could.

“ _Don’t leave me_.” Lance sobbed brokenly, desperately clinging to her presence. She was the only constant his life still had, the only thing that brought him comfort in all the confusion and loneliness his new life had gifted him with. “Where will I go with you gone? I don’t know why I’m here. I want to move on. I want to go with you. Please.”

He dipped his head down against the mattress, crying into the bedding. He was certain she’d surely already passed, when a hand crept forward and brushed against his. He lifted his head, staring to where she was touching him. _Touching him_ , not passing straight through him.

“Lance?” She croaked, voice scratchy and faraway. She wasn’t even looking at him, probably couldn’t lift her head to. Lance blinked through his tears, holding onto her hand for dear life.

“Mama.” Lance whispered, terrified of what would become of him without her around. “I love you.”

Lance had left his family behind when he realized they were aging without him, but the realization only truly sunk in that day when he lost his mother. It was only a matter of time anyway, his siblings were all growing up and disbanding into families of their own. He couldn’t possibly keep up with all of them. They had lives and futures to pursue, and Lance didn’t.

He had to let them go.

Sometimes, though, he really regretted it. Now he didn’t even know if his bloodline went on, if he had any great distant relatives out there that he could check in on. He wished sometimes that he’d clung on a little tighter, not been so quick to let them go. If he’d known then what he knew now, that people could see him if they only believed… he would have stayed. He would have been there for every single future generation, just like he’d never been able to for Vera.

Lance blinked back into the present, where Keith was lying next to him and awaiting an answer. He weighed the pros and cons, considered the risk of it all, and decided to let himself fall anyway. He regretted the things he’d never done more than all the ones he had. Given the chance, he’d stay with his mother until the bitter end again, and he knew he’d do the same for Keith.

That’s what love was.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Keith asked, lighting up in excitement. “You’ll come back with me?!”

“Where else would I go?” Lance hummed, reaching out to cradle Keith’s face in his hands. “I’m scared of losing you, but I’m not going to make you lose me because of that. What kind of teacher doesn’t follow his own lessons?”

“No matter what happens in the future, we have right now.” Keith whispered, turning his head and placing a kiss to the center of Lance’s palm. Lance blinked back at him, resisting the urge to tear up again because he was _happy_. He really was happy, he wanted this more than anything. He’d never wanted to say goodbye to Keith and a selfish part of him hopelessly believed that Keith would find a way to keep them together forever.

Still, it was bittersweet, knowing he might be signing himself up for another heartbreak with nothing but lifetimes ahead of him to dwell on it.

Keith smiled at him, unknowingly. “I love you.”

Lance smiled back at him, despite it all.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the whole fic, guys! It's kind-of an open ending, but rest assured that they absolutely do live happily ever after and become immortal snow boyfriends that travel the world together. I wouldn't accept anything less. 
> 
> One last time, here is the art that my lovely artist partner made for this story: http://viraseii.tumblr.com/post/173279108674/
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed reading this and if so, consider following me on my social medias! 
> 
> Also consider checking out the klance reverse bang, who knows, maybe you'll wanna join for next year!
> 
> melancholymango.tumblr.com
> 
> https://twitter.com/MelancholyMango
> 
> https://klancereversebang.tumblr.com


End file.
